Pelican Dispatch - Spring 2010 - Keep Trees

“No Turning Back” is a painting by Louisiana National Guardsman 1st Lt. Heather S.
Englehart, executive officer for the 1021st Vertical Engineer Company, 205th Engineer
Battalion, 225th Engineer Brigade. Photo: Courtesy of LifeScapes Art
While serving in Iraq with 1st Battalion, 244th Aviation
Regiment, from 2004-2005, Englehart’s name was given to
internationally renowned artist Jim Pollock, who served in
Vietnam, and who discovered that she too was both an artist
and a Soldier.
He notifi ed Renee Klish, the curator for the Army Art Collection
at the U.S. Army Center of Military History, and they, along
with her unit’s command, arranged for her to spend some time
documenting her wartime experiences. Her paintings from that
time are currently featured at the center in Washington, D.C.
“I knew we had something special here
and wanted to utilize her skills
and talents as much as we could.”
— Lt. Col. Patrick Bossetta
“My executive offi cer at the time was Lt. Col. Patrick
Bossetta, who was very supportive and allotted me the time to
work with Jim on projects,” Englehart said. “Of course I still had
to make sure this did not interfere with my assigned duties.”
After seeing her artwork, Bossetta decided that she should
become the unit historian and document the unit’s deployment
through her paintings.
“I knew we had something special here and wanted to utilize
her skills and talents as much as we could,” he said.
Englehart and Pollock have two things in common. Both
have lived in Pierre, S.D., and both have been labeled “war
artists” during their overseas tours.
“Heather is keeping that tradition alive,” said Pollock. “South
Dakotans have offi cially covered three wars for the Army.”
Harvey Dunn, the third South Dakota artist, covered WWI
during his deployment.
In November 2009, Englehart was interviewed on the CBS
Sunday morning news program about her work.
“I was really shocked and excited to be interviewed about
my art work,” she says. “Here is little-old-me being put in the
same category as big-named artists!”
Englehart has been involved with sketching and drawing for
as long as she can remember.
“I can remember drawing in church as a kid,” she said.
“When most parents would be upset at this, my mom was just
happy that I was doing something that would keep me quiet,”
she joked.
During her pre-teen years, Englehart’s father encouraged
her to take painting seriously because it could possibly be
something that would affect her future.
“From that point, I knew that drawing, sketching and painting
would be a part of my career fi eld,” she said.
She took these abilities to North Dakota State University,
where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in architecture
and a minor in environmental design.
Continued on page 28
Featured is a painting titled “UH60 Maintenance” by Louisiana National Guardsman 1st
Lt. Heather S. Englehart, executive officer for the 1021st Vertical Engineer Company,
205th Engineer Battalion, 225th Engineer Brigade. Photo: Courtesy of LifeScapes Art
Spring 2010 / Louisiana National Guard 21