Blast barrier art in Kuwait
Notsambass says: "I have posted a flickr set of military graffiti in Kuwait."
Camp Buehring is a staging camp for US Forces located in an isolated area of Kuwait. Many units pass through here on the way to Iraq. This set consists of concrete blast barriers that have been painted (mostly) by the units passing through. Representations of the esprit de corps of our fine military units as they prepare for operations in Iraq. Themes vary but unit crests, mottoes, and history are important elements. Reserve and Guard units often focus on where they are from. The units mission is often a key element in the painting. Throw in a large dose of martial machismo and a little subversive humor (they are Americans after all) and you have barrier art. Mostly it says we were here.Link
Previously on Boing Boing:
• Nuclear launch center "blast door" art
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"Representations of the esprit de corps of our fine military units as they prepare for operations in Iraq." A sentence worthy of Dick Cheney himself.
Nobody just drew a penis? I would have just drew a penis.
The new 'Kilroy' is Pac-Man?
The Trogdor one is pretty funny. Some of the other paintings are artistically well-done, too.
Those were really, really cool. The half-finished one is my favorite
@1: Don't worry, robotics will catch up soon enough, then your dreams of a truly emotionless and expendable military will come true. Until then, acknowledge that they are indeed people, even if you hate them, and mayhaps like to show their own internal unity. The images may be loaded with machismo, but when you go out expecting to get shot at or bombed, you have to try to get yourself pumped up. At least we are beyond the Vietnam-era ostracization of soldiers and are focusing instead of the policymakers.
@3: That's actually an Ordnance branch symbol with subunits painted next to it - the Pac-Man visage was added later with white paint. Horray for subversion, especially on the part of the bomb disposal types :)
my dad's at Camp Buehring too. he told me about the mural he got to paint, which was decidedly less audacious and snarky than the nuclear blast door image, but not as pacmantastic as this one. I was very proud that I didn't have to explain the Trogdor image to him. yeay Dad!