36 MARCH 24 - MARCH 30, 2017 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP Fort Hamilton celebrates heroic women BY JAIME DEJESUS [email protected] Celebrating heroic women! Fort Hamilton Army Base marked Women’s History Month by acknowledging the contributions of servicewomen throughout history. The festivities, held on Thursday, March 16 at the base’s Washington Room, paid tribute to heroic women as members of the WMD Civil Support Team (CST) stationed at the base read aloud their accomplishments in the first person. The teachings spanned American history from the Revolutionary War, when women followed their husbands to war out of necessity and served as nurses, to the present day, with Captain Lauren Glover, who in 2014 was the first female commander of the U.S. Army Drill Team. Other highlights, noted CST commander Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Genthner, included women's "service during the Civil War as medics and cooks, to World War I and World War II for the Women's Auxiliary Corps. Then in Vietnam, where nurses served, to the '90s when you had combat aviation with women fighter pilots supporting the Gulf War, the invasion in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, women are allowed in field combat units. It’s truly amazing and we did our best to capture these moments in history.” “This was just a small taste of the contributions that women have made to our nation and our armed forces over our many years,” said Colonel Peter Sicoli, the base commander. “The least we can do is to take time out to recognize those contributions and efforts and the strides those women have made.” Among the women highlighted were Major Delia H. Raney, who in 1942 was the first black chief nurse commissioned as a lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps; Private First Class Emma J. Burrows-Windham, who was the first female crew chief and flight engineer in 1946; Colonel Sally Murphy, the Army’s first female helicopter pilot in 1974; Captain Linda Bray, the first woman to lead a platoon into combat in 1989; Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester, who in 2005, was the first woman to be awarded the Silver Star Medal for exceptional valor since World War II; Colonel Stephanie Dawson, the first female brigade commander in the New York Army National Guard, and more. “I dragged my daughter out of school today,” Sicoli added. “It’s parent-teacher conference today so it was a half day but I brought her out early so that she can listen in on these conversations and personally see and observe what these great women have done so that one day, Kate, you will achieve those same successes.” Diocese of Brooklyn, local artist partner to spread Easter message BY PATRICK WEINBERG [email protected] The Diocese of Brooklyn is partnering with a local artist as part of an Easter ad campaign aimed to inspire forgiveness. Artist Mike Fusco is painting the image of Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam,” the centerpiece of his iconic work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, on a 20.5 foot by 23 foot billboard on the corner of 81st Street and Third Avenue in Bay Ridge. The painting will be accompanied by the message “Connect with God, experience the power of forgiveness this Easter.” Michelangelo’s legendary work on the Sistine Chapel was painted over 500 years ago in Vatican City, and this image in particular depicts the hand of Adam reaching out and meeting the hand of God. Although this work may have been done centuries ago, Fusco is honored to recreate the legendary artist’s work. “Obviously, it’s a big deal to recreate a master’s work,” Fusco remarked. “You’re retracing footsteps, and it puts you in a similar state of mind because you’re working towards achieving the same result hundreds of years after the fact.” Fusco recognizes that there are some challenges associated with painting something that was created using a fresco method so many years ago, but he has found a method he thinks will work to achieve the same effect. Fusco said, “While we are painting with enamel, I think it functions in the same spirit as fresco painting did in Michelangelo’s time.” He also noted that both styles are “the most permanent and workable mediums of their day, and both dry quickly.” The goal of the painting is to promote Reconciliation Monday, a joint effort by the Diocese of Brooklyn, Archdiocese of New York and Diocese of Rockville Center. On Monday, April 10, churches in the greater New York City area will be open all day until 9 p.m. to hear walk-in confessions from the general public. Monsignor Kieran Harrington, president and chairperson of De- Sales Media Group, the communications and technology arm of the diocese, which created the Easter ad campaign, says, “The message is intended to inspire forgiveness amongst all people. But for Catholics specifically, we are encouraging them to go to confession and receive the sacrament of reconciliation in preparation for Easter Sunday.” The painted billboard, located at 8104 Third Avenue in the parking lot for Brooklyn Market, is only one component of the ad campaign. In addition there are more standard and digital billboards throughout Brooklyn and Queens. BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Jaime DeJesus Colonel Peter Sicoli with daughter Kate as Fort Hamilton Army Base celebrated Women's History Month. BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Patrick Weinberg Artist Mike Fusco is recreating Michelangelo's iconic "The Creation of Adam" on a billboard at Third Avenue and 81st Street.
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