Frank's Smile

Date2013

MediumRelief woodcut

Dimensions19 × 12 1/2 in. (48.3 × 31.8 cm)

ClassificationsPrintmaking

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Escalette Endowment

Object number2020.1.14

Label TextVeteran: Frank G., US Army

Frank’s story was told to me through his Daughter, Anna. I met Anna last summer and she shared with me the story of her father who died in Vietnam when she was a young girl. She had recently gone through all of his letters and military possessions. This print does not begin to capture the journey that Anna has been on to find out about her father. She showed me a book of combat assaults documented daily by her father. In trying to find out what these notes meant, she found a soldier who served under her father’s command. He was able to translate the military jargon for her and through this correspondence he was also able to share personal stories about Frank. This print captures a moment when, after a long and tumultuous day, Frank comforted the young soldier with a reassuring rub to the young man’s hunched head. “I will always remember your dad’s smile.” I thought it appropriate that the image be carved into wood because Frank and this particular soldier shared a common ritual of meticulously sharpening their buck knives. I really cherished the time I spent with Anna and her Mother learning about the man that Frank Gomez was.

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