Veterans Art Center Tampa Bay EYES OF FREEDOM Exhibit

Description

MEDIA ALERT – PHOTO/VIDEO OPPORTUNITY To request Media Access to Memorial Exhibit: Presenting: Veterans Art Center Tampa Bay (VACTB) 501c3 Mack Macksam, Founder 813.992.7692 vactbforceforart@gmail.com FREE Set up your Vendor Tent 20th Nov 0900-300PM WHAT: This traveling memorial, delivered to you by R+L Carriers, depicts the fallen of Columbus, OH based Lima Company 3/25, one of the most heavily engaged units of Operation Iraqi Freedom. These 23 life-size portraits have become a powerful traveling military tribute Honoring ALL Who Answer Our Nation’s Call; Then, Now, and Tomorrow. These Eyes reflect the hundreds of thousands of men and women that have sacrificed defending our Freedoms. Visit www.EyesofFreedom.org Link to BACKGROUND VIDEO: Eyes of Freedom History WHEN: Location: Brandon Harley Davidson 9841 E Adamo Dr Tampa, Fl 33619 16 Nov thru 20 Nov 2021 QUOTES FOR PRESS: “We’re very excited to bring this incredibly impactful military tribute to the Tampa Bay! We are proud to have everyone in attendance honor the men and women that serve in our great military,” added Mike Strahle, Director of The Eyes of Freedom and a member of the Lima Company (he served along with the men honored in the life-size paintings). “There are many Veterans in the Tampa Bay area and all over the state that have served proudly, and I invite everyone to visit us during display hours to honor all branches of service, past present and future. Do not miss it!” Artist and creator of the exhibit Anita Miller added, “The main reason for creating The Eyes of Freedom was to heal family members and loved ones after suffering such loss in 2005, and now it travels as part of a much larger mission.” Miller worked with family and Lima Co. Marines to paint this tribute, a project that took her two and a half years to complete. ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND: The Eyes of Freedom: Lima Company Memorial was created as a result of an Ohio artist’s vision, in which she saw the finished memorial and felt she was being asked to create it. With the help of the families of the fallen and the returned Marines of L3/25, the work was created and unveiled in the Ohio State House Rotunda in 2008, as the vision foretold. Although the paintings in this Memorial specifically depict the 23 fallen Marines from Lima 3/25, it has become much more; The Eyes of Freedom honors all who have answered the call to service. Behind each portrait we feel the honor and sacrifice of the thousands of men and women who have served our country, in every branch of the armed forces. Mike Strahle retired from Lima Co. 3/25 and upon seeing The Eyes of Freedom unveiled at the Statehouse in 2008 knew he had witnessed something truly special. Three years later he would contact Anita Miller, the artist and creator, requesting to host the memorial at a Veteran’s Support fundraiser he co-founded. It was this reunion that sparked the passing of the baton from its creator to the hands of a brother in arms. For Mike this mission is personal. He too was badly injured in the explosion that took six of his squad members; two more fell to enemy fire just days prior. The Eyes of Freedom Memorial’s exclusive transportation provider is R+L Carriers, Inc. based in Wilmington, OH. R+L is a leading less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation company, providing guaranteed, day-definite regional and transcontinental service through a network of more than 100 service centers in the United States, Canada, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. # # #