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thedrifter
05-15-08, 11:29 AM
Woman Uses Art To Honor Lima Company
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 2:55 PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As 10 members of the Marine Reserve unit Lima Company prepare to return to Iraq, the company's fallen Marines and Navy corpsman are being honored through art.

Columbus-based Lima Company made national headlines three years ago after 23 of its members -- 17 of whom were from Ohio -- died during a tour in Iraq, 10TV's Lindsey Seavert reported.

The unit suffered more casualties than any other U.S. company serving in Iraq.

With that in mind, Westerville artist Anita Miller took her vision to canvas and honored the fallen men.

Miller said it was a dream that inspired to her to paint life-sized portraits of the fallen members of Lima Company.

"I saw this installation of these paintings, of life-sized portraits of all the men," Miller said, "standing together all interacting with each other."

According to Miller, in her vision, the paintings were on display inside the Ohio Statehouse.

After building a two-story room where she could paint, Miller worked on the portraits for two years.

"The power of this memorial is not going to be due to the skill of me," Miller said. "It will be due to the gift that they gave."

"They are beautiful faces," Miller said, "and the more I paint them the more beautiful they become."

Parents of the fallen Marines were among the first to see the finished portraits.

"It's like he's here," said Jane Erdy, whose son, Nicholas, died in Iraq. "It just looks so much like him and he's looking right at us."

"He's happy there," Erdy said.

Miller's vision will come full circle on Memorial Day Weekend when her portraits are put on display at the Statehouse Rotunda.

The display opens to the public on May 24.

In November, the portraits will tour the state, and eventually the country.

Watch 10TV News and refresh 10TV.com for additional information.

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2008/05/13/images/slideshow_lima_paintings.html

Ellie