BRINGING SERGEANT THOMAS TO LIFE
. . . painting a portrait and bringing history to life
“A picture’s worth a thousand words.” Most people would agree, but sometimes finding—or creating—that picture is infinitely more difficult than finding the thousand words.
Though the way be exhausting and truly complex, when it comes to Sgt. Ernest “Boots” Thomas, the intense labor required in the creation of a historically-accurate representation of Florida’s young hero is certainly well worth the effort.
Out of the many, many people who once knew Boots Thomas personally, only a handful are still alive. To these few, however, the memory of Boots is still alive and well. “He had blue eyes,” remembers Jack Thomas, Boots’ younger brother. Leaning back in his chair, his mind once again walking memory lane, Jack smiles. Yes, Boots’ eyes were certainly striking. His blond hair is another feature well remembered. “He had real wavy hair,” his boyhood friend Jim Sledge recalls, hair that Thomas strove to keep in pristine order. Sledge laughs and remembers: “You’d come up to him and say, ‘Hey—’ and he’d say, ‘Don’t touch my hair!’”
Of the surviving photographs of Boots, the vast majority are black and white representations, many yellowed with age. Blurred or washed out with too much or too little light exposure, catching a glimpse of what this young man actually looked like poses a challenge for those who never knew him in person. To overcome this challenge, Psalm 78 Ministries hired nationally-acclaimed artist James Mathewuse to assist in bringing Boots Thomas to life.
Employing modern technology and hours of labor, photographs of Boots were turned from hazy black and white originals to full-color images. From these images Mathewuse began his work.
Jotting down a preliminary sketch of his subject, Mathewuse commences his portrait by painstakingly examining the available photographs of Boots Thomas, as well as Marine Corps uniforms and helmets from WWII for exact color standards.
Over a period of a few weeks the portrait comes to life, and with a finishing touch Mathewuse completes his near-perfect representation of young Thomas, picturing him as the sergeant would have appeared atop Mount Suribachi the day of the famed flag-raising.
With the completion of his work, Mathewuse’s portrait stands ready to introduce to a new generation the features of Florida’s hero Sgt. Ernest Thomas. Thomas’ penetrating blue eyes shine brightly in the Iwo Jima sunlight, though his blond hair is hidden beneath a faded helmet.
But, though eye color and other physical characteristics have been diligently detailed, the defining marks of the new Boots Thomas picture are not the characteristics that make up his face, but rather the character displayed therein. True to life, Mathewuse’s portrait captures the heart and expression of young Boots. No Hollywood hero stands here, no swaggering Marine proudly surveying his day’s work—no, the picture shows nothing more than what Boots ever claimed to be: a young man dedicated to the cause of defending his family and his nation, and who would give his life to see the job done.
Here, indeed, is the true representation of Platoon Sergeant Ernest I. “Boots” Thomas, a life that shall soon be brought to light by a picture—and a thousand words.
Copyright 2014 Psalm 78 Ministries