Gold Star Portraits

Here I am working on a portrait of 1st Lt. Joel C. Gentz, 25, of Grass Lake, Michigan, who was assigned to the 58th Rescue Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.. Airmen Gentz, a 2007 graduate of Purdue University, and a 2002 graduate of Chelsea H.S. in Michigan, was an elite combat rescue officer in the U.S. Air Force, who was known for his strong work ethic and commitment to doing his best. Lt. Gentz died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan June 9, 2010. Joel Gentz lived by the motto of the pararescue men: "these things we do, that others may live." It's an honor to be painting this portrait, one of two I am painting that will be presented to the families at a Gold Star Ceremony October 3, 2010.