December 15, 2011 - Page 5


‘Patriotic Portraiture ’ Cont. from Page 3


the importance of his position, as the head of our nation’s mil- itary power. Later the President signed the photo with the salu- tation, “Sincerely Yours, Woodrow Wilson,” which helped in part to remove the impersonal way he was being viewed by the com- mon man in regards to the war effort.


At Camp Funston, near Fort Riley, Kansas, 10,000 men of the 164th Brigade, with the per- mission of their commanding officer, Major General Leonard Wood, were gathered together on a polo field in the formation of the “Living Service Flag.”


The largest undertaking by far, was Mole’s creation of the “U.S. Shield,” (see lower left) in which he used 30,000 men and officers stationed at Camp Custer, Battle Creek, Michigan. Not only did commanding offi- cer, Brigadier General Howard L. Laubak give Mole permission to proceed with the project, but Laubak also stood in formation with his men and fellow officers to help form the shield.


Obtaining permission from the commanding officers repre- senting every branch of our nation’s military, Mole and Thomas traveled to camps across the country to photo- graph symbols promoting their branch of service.


Traveling to the U.S. Naval rifle range at Camp Logan, Illinois, Mole and Thomas coordinated the troops into the Navy rifle insignia, consisting of a Naval anchor and target. As in previ- ous photographic formations, commanding officer Ensign S.M. Abrams stood shoulder to shoulder with his men.


During the photographic shoot at Camp Hancock, in Augusta, Georgia, the commanding offi-


cer, Lieutenant Colonel E.P. Pierson, helped to direct his 22,500 men and officers into the “machine gun insignia.” In this particular photo, to give more depth and dimension to the composition, Mole used 600 machine guns and you’ll notice many of the soldiers in the shoot are lying on the ground. After Mole and Thomas enlist- ed his help to coordinate the direction of the formation, Pierson was the last soldier to step in, before the photo was taken.


The enormity of his creations can be seen by the diminutive stature of the buildings seen in the photographs. In Mole’s photo of the “Y.M.C.A.” emblem taken at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, the buildings appear as microscopic dots in the background. This forma- tion was formed by Lieutenant General J.B. Moss, officers, enlisted men and camp activity workers.


Other than his portrait of the “Human Liberty Bell,” Mole’s portraits of the “Human Statue of Liberty,” and his “Human American Eagle” prompted the


most patriotic fervor among the civilian masses at large.


The “Human American Eagle,” was photographed at Camp Gordon, Atlanta, Georgia. Commanding officer, Major General George H. Cameron gathered together 12,500 nurs- es, officers and enlisted men for the project. As they stood together for a common good, no one realized the impact the photo would ultimately have.


On a stifling hot day in July of 1918, 18,000 enlisted men train- ing at Camp Dodge, in Iowa, under the command of Colonel William Newman and Colonel Rush S. Williams, came togeth- er, standing shoulder to shoul- der in the formation of Lady Liberty. Many of the men fainted due to the heat, the wearing of winter wools and the sheer mass of humanity.


The living sculpture was formed on the parade grounds and was a staggering mile and a half long. Due to the perspec- tive, the majority of the men, 14,800 to be exact, were used to


‘Patriotic Portraiture’ Cont. on Page 9


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