In a Sept. 21, 2017 photo, Abiola Idowu works on one of the sculptures in Alan Cottrill's Zanesville, Ohio studio. Cottrill, a well-known Zanesville sculptor, has been commissioned by the National Infantry Museum in Georgia to do nine 7-foot sculptures of combat soldiers for the Global War on Terror Memorial. [Fred Squillante/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
Republished October 02, 2017 - 10:02 AM
Original Publication Date October 02, 2017 - 5:31 AM
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A squad of 7-foot (2.1-meter) infantrymen cast in bronze for an anti-terrorism memorial will be delivered to a Georgia museum this week by the central Ohio sculptor who created the statues.
Army veteran Alan Cottrill and a team of artists spent more than a year making the nine soldiers for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial, reported the Columbus Dispatch . The memorial is scheduled to be dedicated later this month at the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Georgia, near Fort Benning.
Each of the 750-pound (340-kilogram) statues depicts how post-Sept. 11 U.S. combat soldiers look, including details of their uniforms and weapons. Retired Col. Greg Camp, who is the museum's president, said he believes the incredible details will make a difference for soldiers visiting the memorial.
"They'll be able to say to their family, 'This is what I wore — I had this scope, this body armour. You'll never guess how heavy it is.'" said Camp. "These represent the embodiment of them. The statues bring the memorial to life."
The pieces also convey layers of human emotion that engage viewers, said Cottrill.
"There's an intensity but a vulnerability. A toughness but an 'afraid-ness.' That all has to be there," said Cottrill.
The statues will be flanked by granite panels that feature etchings of the names of people who have died in the war on terrorism and illustrations of each service.
"I can feel the emotion, and I hope viewers can, too," said Cottrill.
The Zanesville, Ohio sculptor will install the statues Tuesday.
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com
News from © The Associated Press, 2017