‘A Soldier’s Journey’ Reaches Its Destination

As he put the finishing touches on the final 11 of 38 bronze figures that tell the captivating story of a World War I hero’s journey, master sculptor Sabin Howard can feel his purpose of giving to a “construction” amid so much “destruction.”

When the massive 58-foot-long and 10-foot-wide memorial that weighs 25 tons makes its debut as the sun sets at 7:19 p.m. on Sept. 13 in Pershing Park, Washington, D.C., visitors will go on a journey through five distinct scenes that follow a soldier’s journey.

Before the artwork’s frieze — that narrates a man who leaves his family behind, joins his brothers in arms, charges into battle, sees the horrific costs of war, and returns home, where he hands his helmet to his child — were assembled on site, the pieces went on their own three-week adventure across the Atlantic Ocean.

That’s because Howard spent the last several months working at a foundry in the United Kingdom that specializes in bronze sculptures.

Long before the people in the scene were cast, literally, Howard cast actual veterans to pose as models. He snapped upward of 12,000 photographs of live models in various poses in “burst mode” on his iPhone.

After spending hours with veterans who helped inspire the piece of art and seeing what he calls a “movie in bronze” come to life, he feels like he has a “very important purpose.”

“This is a really good thing,” he said of the memorial. “It gives back to the people.”

As monuments and memorials have been desecrated nationwide, Howard fears that American history is being destroyed as people try to “redefine what it is.”

In delivering what will serve as a memorial for the 4.7 million Americans who served in WWI and the 116,516 who died in battle, Howard said he is all about creating a piece dedicated to “unifying our country.”

He points out that the women, children, and soldiers featured on the memorial are “all American” and represent “who we are.”

“Culture is the umbrella that holds this country together,” he said. “I am really proud I made something for the history of this country.”

Read the entire article on the Newsmax website.
External Web Site Notice: This page contains information directly presented from an external source. The terms and conditions of this page may not be the same as those of this website. Click here to read the full disclaimer notice for external web sites. Thank you.