NEW ORLEANS - Between weekend drills, overseas deployments, the
work in communities during peacekeeping and natural disaster missions,
full-time jobs and school, National Guardsmen often find themselves too busy
for their hobbies.
One Soldier has found a way to combine the two.
For 31-year-old Louisiana Guardsman 1st Lt. Heather S. Englehart, her hobby
comes in the form of mixing colors on a canvas and making beautiful artwork.
On the military side, Englehart serves as the executive officer for the
1021st Vertical Engineer Company and as a full-time project manager for the
Louisiana National Guard's Construction and Facilities Management Office.
As an artist and painter, Englehart has made a national name for herself.
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 discovered that she too was both an
artist and a Soldier.
He notified 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.
"My executive officer 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 as "war artists" during their overseas
tours.
"Heather is keeping that tradition alive," said Pollock. "South Dakotan's
have officially covered three wars for the Army."
Harvey Dunn is the third artist capturing World War I scenes during his
deployment.
In November 2009, Englehart was even interviewed on the CBS Sunday morning
news program about her work.
"I was really shocked and excited to be interviewed about my artwork," 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 field," she said.
She took these abilities to North Dakota State University where she
graduated with a bachelor's degree in architecture with a minor in
environmental design.
"This was a perfect fit for me," she said. "I was able to apply everything
I learned and apply it to my work in college."
In 1997, she decided to join the military after being dared by a few
friends. "A few of my male friends had just graduated from basic training
and said I couldn't accomplish the same thing," she said. "Since I am
stubborn and hard-headed, I enlisted to show them they were wrong."
She spent the beginning of her military career and overseas deployment as a
cook; and in 2005, she applied for and received a direct commission as an
engineer officer.
Word about her work and talents quickly spread around the Louisiana National
Guard and after her commissioning she was offered at full-time position with
the CFMO.
"I was surprised by the offer and happy to receive it," she said. "Working
here has given me the opportunity to continue doing something that I have
always had a passion for."