"Unfortunate Son," Republic of Vietnam 1967

[JamesOLeary]

This figure is scratchbuilt and is the first that I painted in oils. This wounded Soldier is awaiting MEDEVAC after having been wounded by shrapnel in the left abdomen and left arm. He is wearing the 2d pattern jungle fatigues which feature the epaulets and side adjustment tabs as well as covered buttons. I used a set that I have as a pattern for the sculpting of this uniform. I made it a size too big for the Soldier to show how the military laundry system worked for units in the field. When the resupply chopper came in with clean laundry, it was pretty much first come first served. There was no guarrantee that a Soldier would find a uniform that fit.
The manufacturers tag can be seen on the right side of the shirt (inside) and the casualty tag is tied to the left epaulet. An abdominal field dressing is used for the abdominal wound and you can see the shrapnel holes and blood corresponding with that wound on the left side of the shirt. The left arm has been placed in a sling. Blood is present on the right hand where this Soldier was holding his abdominal wound until it was treated and blood is also seen where it had dripped down the left arm prior to treatment.
The title for this figure, "Unfortunate Son," was derived from the song by Credence Clearwater Revival.

 

[johnbowery]

James,
Congratulations on all counts. The sculpting and painting and the setting.
Cheers
John

 

[Model Maniac]

Nice creation and painting! I think the left arm is too high to be comfortable. It should be on around the belly rather than the chest. Just my $0.02

 

[JamesOLeary]

Re:

Thanks for the comments John and Model Maniac.


Model Maniac wrote:

Nice creation and painting! I think the left arm is too high to be comfortable. It should be on around the belly rather than the chest. Just my $0.02

Shrapnel wounds, much less any other wounds, are not comfortable. Medics try their best to make the wounded more comfortable, but sometimes circumstances prevent making the wounded too comfortable. In regards to the left arm in the sling...if it were just an arm wound, then yes, the medic or whoever treated the arm would probably position it in a more comfortable position. However, in this case, the abdominal shrapnel wound is the more serious wound, so the medic would need to ensure that he is able to see the wound and have easy access to it should it continue bleeding. Because of where the abdominal wound is, the left arm needed to be slung higher so the medic could get to the abdominal wound if he needed to. When I build my figures, I look back on previous combat experience of not only myself, but other veterans before I complete a project especially if what I am modeling is something that I haven't experienced myself. That way I can create scenes that are as realistic as my modeling abilities will allow me to make. In this case, I used some personal experiences and placed it in a Vietnam setting, but also consulted my father who was an Infantryman in Vietnam and later in his military career a medic.