STS-115/12A Shuttle Mission Gallery
The Backstory
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On the one year anniversary, Green presented the first copy of his book to the Third Battalion. A young Eric Marston, accompanied by his mother and editor of the book, presented the very first book, which only was finished being bound some 4 hours earlier by Dave Halmosi at Advance Book Bindery, to the Battlion with the words “The children of Canada thank you.” You could hear the “awwwwwws” from all the warriors. 🙂
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Green attended the formal Mess dinner when the Battlegroup returned back to Canada. It was an amazing experience, filled with outstanding food, magnificent Port wine, toasts to Her Majesty and inspiring stories from the front lines. On the 10 year anniversary, Green donated 200 prints of the Canada Flag print to members of the Battalion and of Operation Apollo and provided them with the words on each print “On behalf of the boys at Vimy Ridge”. Green was also instrumental in assisting civic memorialising by assisting the Van Sloten family in lobbying the Edmonton Municipal Government to rename a bridge in memory of Cpl Ainsworth Dyer. Since this began, Green and the Van Sloten family have developed a close bond.
April 17th, In The Name of Canada
Green committed to publishing this military memorial anthology honouring the four fallen soldiers and their sacrifices. This effort consumed approximately two and a half years, working full time on this project. Green was able to finish the book prior to his admission into Emily Carr University. Once ready for publication, he produced a grand total of only 27 books. Once he completed this monumental task, he donated all the proceeds from the sale of this book to a non-profit which promotes women’s rights and literacy in the Middle-East in a formal ceremony at Emily Carr University in which the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry arranged for a piper from the Seathforth Highlanders to play.
Prior to the funds transfer, green donated the last copy of the book to the non-profit and read aloud the names of every soldier killed and our diplomat. Green has made available to the general public for posterity reasons this book in a PDF format. My deepest gratitude to Ms. Kelli Marston for editing the book.
| DOWNLOAD PDF |  |
VIEW BOOK GALLERY |
It took over 7 years to complete the task. I drilled down to pixel precision to the best of my ability, on all fronts, in all areas, in all regards, I did everything humanly possible to do it right because I was doing it on behalf of the country. I finished the task. Thank you to my wonderful family, friends and loved ones, for all your tireless support, encouragement and belief in me and this project. It’s more important than ever to honour those who serve and protect our freedoms and culture.
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While in the middle of designing the book, Green designed up a deck of playing cards that pay tribute to the history of the Canadian Armed Forces. |
| Click here to download a high resolution image. |
That’s when things really went orbital…
Before Green sent his flag into orbit, he pricked his thumb and bled a drop of blood onto the tip of the rope of the flag. “I wanted to say that a piece of me went around the world 187 times.” Attached to his spaceflag, was a golden twisted pair cloth rope which he has cut up into segments and have given only a very rare and select group of inspiring and creative individuals including Sting, Michael Buble, Stephen Colbert, various artists and people as a way to recognise them with the highest and most special way possible. “Our freedoms are underpinned by those who have sacrificed for us. This is a tangible reminder of that freedom you enjoy as this small piece of rope, slipped the surly bonds of earth and kissed heaven while escorting our fallen home.”
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They Escorted the Souls of Our Fallen, Home.
Flag Repatriation Ceremony…Painting with an Astronaut was surreal
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Green and his family felt that this event was too critical not to have it professionally filmed. Thank you to Malcom Carter and Chronos Media. Malcom is a world class film maker whose worked with various celebrities like Patrick Stewart and others. His film The Connected Universe is simply inspiring and you need to watch it.
Ainsworth Dyer Memorial Bridge
You can’t ask for a more elegant family than the Van Sloten Family
This project deserves its own section. Please click here to visit the Bridge Project.
Flag Unveiling Ceremony & Painting with Soldiers
In Symbolic Defiance Against the Taliban, We Painted.
Green wanted as an act of symbolic defiance against the draconian nature of the Taliban for their contempt and hatred for ancient artworks as we have seen with the destruction of massive and ancient Bhuddas. The final brush strokes were placed on the painting with paints blended with soil from Afghanistan in honour of those statues. “This was my way to return fire through the howitzers of fine arts. They had no right to do that and they demonstrated a profound contempt for all cultures and history as a whole. Its my way to returning fire by painting a scene from Afghanistan, using soil from Afghanistan and a symbol of contemptuous rejection with a flair.”
They Tried to Kill my Buddy
A.K.A. Mr. Impossible to Kill
Major Mark Campbell personifies the absolute finest qualities of a Canadian soldier. He is a personal and professional inspiration to me, a playbook as to how to live, how to be a warrior poet, a gentle guiding hand wrapped in a gauntlet of death. This man is beyond amazing. He is my friend.
Upon seeing Major Mark Campbell at the flag unveiling ceremony, Green burst out and gave him a loving bear hug because he had no idea he was going to be in attendance and this was a genuinely magnificent moment of pure love for an old friend. Campbell was gravely wounded in Afghanistan.
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When I heard Major Mark Campbell stepped on a land mine and was nearly killed, and lost both of his legs and died a number of times on the table, I felt like I had to reach out somehow and so I painted this for him with the instructions to use it as art therapy. He could burn it, destroy it, shoot it…anything he wanted. He elected to donate it to the Regiment. This painting is titled “Patricia’s Endurance”. He said that when he opened this 48″x96″ oil on canvas, it was a very emotional experience for him. I wish I was there with him, but I was in spirit. Love this man
The Very Beating Heart of my Soul
Presented to the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry on behalf and in memory of Her Royal Highness Princess Patricia. The Commanding Officer applied the title to the painting after the RSM, a colleague of Green, Nicole Burg, made the brush strokes in honour of HRH Princess Patricia and Green himself. It was evident how emotional it was for the Commanding Officer to be doing something like that. This painting was part of a show at the Art Gallery of Alberta. “The talent of the artists who I was honoured to show along side was simply staggering and it left me totally humbled.”
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Patricia’s Endurance
48″ X 96″ Oil on Canvas
When I heard Major Mark Campbell stepped on a land mine and was nearly killed, and lost both of his legs and died a number of times on the table, I felt like I had to reach out somehow and so I painted this for him with the instructions to use it as art therapy. He could burn it, destroy it, shoot it…anything he wanted. He elected to donate it to the Regiment. This painting is titled “Patricia’s Endurance”. He said that when he opened this 48″x96″ oil on canvas, it was a very emotional experience for him. I wish I was there with him, but I was in spirit. Love this man.
The Stuff of Patricia’s
With a title inspired from the movie “The Right Stuff”, Green titled this painting, “The Suff of Patricia’s”, presented it to Dr. Steve MacLean at the Canadian Space Agency in St. Hubert, Quebec and requested that Dr. MacLean paint the final brush strokes. During the process of painting, it acted as a moment of lightness in an otherwise sombre event. (48″ x 60″ Oil on Canvas)
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Unveiling The Flag & Painting…The End of a 7 year Journey
Faster Than Angels
Presented to the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry on the event of the space flag being unveiled at Edmonton Garrison. (48″ X 60″ Oil on Canvas) This painting had very special meaning to me. While I was working on my book, as it was in the binding process, I was involved in a cycling accident in which I should have died. I told this story in front of the entire Battalion. In short, I was cycling near the University of Alberta, I collided with a skaterboarder, was thrown into traffic and my head landed in the path of an oncoming car. The tire treads were only a few feet from my face and closing. Something grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and yanked my upper body up. I know because of the snapping motion my head made which could have only been achieved through an external force being applied to it and my core stomach muscles were not activated. As I was pulled up, the passenger rear quarter panel flew by my eyes. The driver would not have been able to stop in time and by rights, I should have been killed. Every day since, I feel like it has been on borrowed time and every hour of every day must be used to siphon as much meaning out of life while I am alive. I titled this painting “Faster than Angels” because I attribute my rescue to one of the four soldiers who were the subject of my book being responsible for saving my life. This painting now hangs in the Commanding Officers Briefing Room at 3 PPCLI RHQ, at Edmonton Garrison. Thank you to LCol Dawe and the hospitality of the entire PPCLI for allowing me to cross the finish line as an Honourary Patricia. With the unveiling of the flag, it concluded a project which lasted over 7 years.
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