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| 23 - Tajna Cools Out |
Lieutenant Colonel Keith A. McConnell, USMCR
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Acquisition Number: 2012.1057.131
Medium: Pencil on Paper
Tanja, a military working dog with Headquarters and Service Battalion,
I Marine Expeditionary Force, takes a well-deserved break.
During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm—August 1990 to February 1991—118 war dogs were “paws on the ground” in the Persian Gulf area across all military services. Because of their keen noses and eyesight, combined with loyalty to their handlers, dogs were perfectly suited for patrols, tracking, search and rescue, and detection, especially detecting explosives. Favorite breeds included German shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and retrievers.
Keith McConnell, born in Ohio in 1946, added a camera and sketchbook to his pack as a young Marine in Vietnam in 1968-69. After the war, he developed his artistic skills further through formal training at Ohio University in Athens, the Cooper School of Art, and the Los Angeles Art Center School. As a Reservist, he created his first of nine posters for Toys for Tots in 1977, covered the Marine Corps wrestling team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, and deployed as a combat artist during Desert Storm in 1991. He has had a successful career as a commercial artist, based in California, where he has created album covers, illustrations for children’s books, and other works of art.
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