Our Hero Father
My painting, “Our Hero Father,” commemorates my Dad’s courage for his role in saving the lives of 110 crew members aboard the USS Vandalia IX-191following World War II.
During the war, my father, Navy Seaman Kermit Heistad, was a gunner on the oil tanker; after the war the ship was moored at Buckner Bay, Okinawa. On October 9, 1945, a violent typhoon swept over Okinawa, causing the Vandalia to run aground. The 140-knot winds lashed the ship, which went out of control and came to rest listing to starboard, according to official Navy records.
My Dad wrote an eye-witness account of the event in a letter to his sister: “Most of the ship was under water and it was turning over. … I and 2 other fellows asked the captain if we could try and get some of the men ashore. He said it was useless, but we could try. So we lowered the boat and got the wounded men in first and started for shore. The captain said if we got ashore we would never get back to get the rest of the men.”
As the storm lashed Buckner Bay with 140 mph winds, my father and the two other sailors made seven trips in the lifeboat to and from land, carrying every man to safety. "There was black oil all over the water and I was covered with it," Dad wrote in his letter. "It got in my eyes so I could hardly see and in my mouth and choked me. But we made it back to the ship. [On shore my crewmates] wiped me off with their handkerchiefs. Several of them came with their billfolds and tried to give them to us. All I could say was thank God.”
Dad and the two other sailors never received recognition from the Navy for their part in saving the crew that terrible day. But their efforts enabled every man on the ship to return home to their families. You can read the account of the storm and the text of Dad’s letter here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Vandalia_(IX-191)
Is the piece framed and wired properly? Please specify any hanging requirements for the gallery staff.
Yes.
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.)
Oil on canvas
Are you an MCA artist member? (NOTE: MUST BE A MEMBER TO PARTICIPATE)
Are you an MCA Artist over the age of 55?
yes
Is your artwork suitable for a public audience of all ages, and not deemed "inappropriate" or "controversial"?
My artwork is suitable for all public audiences.
