CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (May 5, 2016) --
Hand-painted inside Combat
Logistics Battalion 2’s headquarters building stands a 7.5-foot-tall rendition
of one of the most recognized and respected medals awarded to members of the
U.S. armed forces.
The Purple Heart, an award rich with
honor and history dating back to the American Revolution, is recognized by its
purple enamel heart showing a relief profile of George Washington in the
Continental Army uniform. Lance Cpl. Ashley Tichensky has already spent over
110 hours drawing and painting a replica of the medal to represent her
battalion’s Marines who have been awarded this military decoration during their
service.
“When I first heard about the meaning behind
[the medal], especially with how the Marines earned it, I was touched by it,”
said Tichensky, a motor-transportation operator with Transportation Services
Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 2. “My great-grandfather was in World War
II, and he earned his Purple Heart during the Battle of Normandy. I can see how
much [this mural] means.”
Just to the left of Tichensky’s
painting is a double-column of names, recording Marines of CLB-2 who have
earned the award. 104 in total upon completion, these names represent a
significant part of the battalion’s history, including multiple deployments in
support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Displayed to
honor their sacrifice, the mural serves as a reminder to the lineage of
greatness for every Marine that passes by.
“When CLB-2 started standing up to go to
Crisis Response, a lot of people started coming in, and the unit started
getting bigger,” said Maj. James Fuller,
officer in charge of the CLB-2 element at Camp Lejeune. “There was a big
push across the battalion to remember where you come from. We needed something
to say, ‘Here are the same Marines that you are standing shoulder-to-shoulder
with, and this is the sacrifice that they gave.’ This is their history, and
this is their unit.”
Once Fuller and 1st Sgt. Jack
Waller, acting sergeant major with the Lejeune-based CLB-2element, had the idea
to bring that reminder of their unit’s warfighting history to the battalion,
Waller knew Tichensky had the perfect
combination of skill and motivation for the job.
“You can tell that she has a passion for it,”
said Waller. “She was the perfect fit for the message we are trying to convey
to the unit. This is a reminder of who we are as Marines, and something that we
can look to and be proud of.”
Fuller described the mural as a
focus of conversation for many Marines in the battalion, old and new.
“When you see it, when you see the detail, you
look at Washington and you’re almost drawn into it,” said Fuller. “You step
back and look at all the names on there, and the full force of it just hits
you. You realize where this unit has been and where it’s going. [Tichensky] was
able to take this idea and make it into a reality, in a way that I could have
never imagined.”