Description of Work

Dogtag: Affects of Deployments on Soldiers and Their Families - 2021 - Digital Art - Not for Sale

Artist's Statement

My father has spent 35 years in the military. He was in the Marines for 17 years and the Army for 18. During this time, my dad had multiple deployments and mandatory travel periods, one being this past year. Experiencing my dad’s deployments as a kid and adult inspired me to create Dogtag.

Military life affects more than just my own family, there are 1,120,661 men and women deployed each year. American soldiers defend our lives every day. With a soldier’s choice to put their life at risk for others, they are sacrificing much more than people realize. These men and women lose quality time with their loved ones. Their families are forced to move to comply with military orders and give up certain jobs and relationships. Many soldiers return home with mental health problems and must cope with that. Along with the possibility of physical injury that can hurt the chances of formal employment. Families then are faced with helping and understanding their loved ones after struggling with the temporary loss, through deployment, they have just experienced.

In this graphic novel, I not only explore how a soldier’s deployment can affect them when they arrive home, but how their families are affected as well. As a kid I didn’t fully understand what my dad did for a living. Comic books and the heroes within are something I always related. Also, to have the ability to reach a wide base of readers including children and adults. This project is focused on being entertaining, while also educating people of any age about military life within families. Additionally, this narrative will allow for military families to approach their stresses together rather than keeping to themselves.

If you wish to purchase any of these pieces, please contact the gallery director, Jacqueline Nathan (jnathan@bgsu.edu.)