#33 - You Are Not Forgotten
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Location: 1500 W. Commerce St. at Colorado St. Dimensions: 70'3" x 19' Date: October 2006 Lead artist: Mike Roman |
Artist Mike Roman painted You Are Not Forgotten to honor Vietnam War veterans like his own father, Tony Roman. The mural features scenes familiar to all Vietnam vets including a napalm explosion, a Brown Water Navy boat, rice paddies, snake-infested jungles, and planes spraying Agent Orange. The campaign ribbon and empty boots on the bottom border of the mural honor service men and women who never came home. The mural also has personal touches: Mike painted the group of soldiers in the middle of the mural from a photograph of his father’s camp buddies, and the figure seated in the bottom right corner is Tony holding a picture of Mike’s mother. Every year, property owner Jaime Macias holds an event in honor of veterans outside the mural, with attendance reaching up to five hundred people.
Detail: Mike's father, Tony Roman, looks at a photograph of Mike's mother from high school graduation
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Detail: Representation of Tony Roman's buddies on tour, modeled after a real photograph
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Content and Design
After an event hosted at his mural, artist Mike Roman remembers speaking with a Vietnam veteran he had never met before:
A gentleman pulled me to the side after all the pictures taken and all the words said, he pulls me to the side -- he was a big man -- and he grabbed my hand and he shook it. Man, he had a firm grip. And he looks me dead in the eye and he tells me, ‘Thank you. Thank you for doing this.’ He says, ‘I have avoided this place for a long time because of it stirring up all these emotions but I’m grateful and I’m glad that I came to thank you.’ It’s touched a lot of people, and that’s exactly what I think great art should do -- touch people. It’s got a message. It should resonate that message through your whole body.
Mike drew on scenes from his father’s tour in Vietnam to create a mural that would convey not just events in the war, but the feelings of fear, paranoia, courage, and camaraderie that veterans experienced. In the back left of the mural, napalm goes off in the mountains. Mike’s father Tony Roman used to tell him that filling up the tank of his car was a struggle, because the gasoline smell triggered memories of napalm. Below the fiery mountain is a boat from the Brown Water Navy. Except for the guns, everything on the boat was made of fiberglass rather than metal, making the boats open targets as they patrolled the canals in Vietnam’s wetlands.
The right side of the mural shows two planes trailing a grey gas. Called Agent Orange, this chemical defoliated the jungle, killing plants and trees so that U.S. troops could pass through more easily. The chemical contaminated water sources, causing illness and birth defects among local Vietnamese and also affecting many soldiers, who developed cancers and other conditions because of exposure to Agent Orange. Below the planes, three soldiers wade through a rice paddy. Although the paddies were surrounded by dams, the soldiers never walked on them because they were frequently booby trapped. Many developed parasites and fungus in their perpetually paddy-soaked feet. To the right of the soldiers, a grove of banana trees stands at the entrance to the jungle. A pit viper whose bite could kill a man in two steps hangs from a tree, and leaflets are scattered on the ground amidst dead leaves. These were propaganda leaflets distributed by the Vietnamese, telling U.S. servicemen that this war was not their war, and they should go home.
The central image is a group of seven men standing under a Purple Heart medal and Prisoner of War/Missing in Action symbol. The photo is of men who fought alongside Mike’s dad, his camp buddies. They are at An Hoa base, hamming it up for the camera. Although Mike chose not to paint this into the mural, the man on the bottom right was actually holding a gun to his head in the original photograph, a gesture of the dark humor some people used to cope with the trauma of Vietnam. The photo of seven friends clowning around while aircraft and explosions pierce the air behind them is meant to communicate a message about veterans and active duty troops: people may act like everything is normal when they are surrounded by chaos. The bottom border of the mural is a campaign ribbon given to all active duty Vietnam soldiers, and the empty pair of boots represents servicemen and women who never came home.
Mike added several personal touches to this mural. The man on the bottom right corner is his father, who was just 19 years old when he went to Vietnam. Tony is holding a picture of Mike’s mother, who had recently graduated from John Marshall High School. Instead of signing his name on the mural, Mike wrote it in on the jacket Tony holds in his lap. On the silver C-130 plane flying in the upper left corner of the mural, Mike wrote the number 429. C-130 planes were the soldiers’ lifeline because they carried supplies: fresh water, clothing, food. April 29th is the day Mike’s older brother, to whom the mural is dedicated, passed away.
The right side of the mural shows two planes trailing a grey gas. Called Agent Orange, this chemical defoliated the jungle, killing plants and trees so that U.S. troops could pass through more easily. The chemical contaminated water sources, causing illness and birth defects among local Vietnamese and also affecting many soldiers, who developed cancers and other conditions because of exposure to Agent Orange. Below the planes, three soldiers wade through a rice paddy. Although the paddies were surrounded by dams, the soldiers never walked on them because they were frequently booby trapped. Many developed parasites and fungus in their perpetually paddy-soaked feet. To the right of the soldiers, a grove of banana trees stands at the entrance to the jungle. A pit viper whose bite could kill a man in two steps hangs from a tree, and leaflets are scattered on the ground amidst dead leaves. These were propaganda leaflets distributed by the Vietnamese, telling U.S. servicemen that this war was not their war, and they should go home.
The central image is a group of seven men standing under a Purple Heart medal and Prisoner of War/Missing in Action symbol. The photo is of men who fought alongside Mike’s dad, his camp buddies. They are at An Hoa base, hamming it up for the camera. Although Mike chose not to paint this into the mural, the man on the bottom right was actually holding a gun to his head in the original photograph, a gesture of the dark humor some people used to cope with the trauma of Vietnam. The photo of seven friends clowning around while aircraft and explosions pierce the air behind them is meant to communicate a message about veterans and active duty troops: people may act like everything is normal when they are surrounded by chaos. The bottom border of the mural is a campaign ribbon given to all active duty Vietnam soldiers, and the empty pair of boots represents servicemen and women who never came home.
Mike added several personal touches to this mural. The man on the bottom right corner is his father, who was just 19 years old when he went to Vietnam. Tony is holding a picture of Mike’s mother, who had recently graduated from John Marshall High School. Instead of signing his name on the mural, Mike wrote it in on the jacket Tony holds in his lap. On the silver C-130 plane flying in the upper left corner of the mural, Mike wrote the number 429. C-130 planes were the soldiers’ lifeline because they carried supplies: fresh water, clothing, food. April 29th is the day Mike’s older brother, to whom the mural is dedicated, passed away.
History
Mike Roman’s father Tony Roman fought in Vietnam, where he was wounded twice, in 1969-70. He returned home with severe PTSD, made worse by the hostile treatment he received from people who opposed the war. After thirty years of self-medicating his PTSD with alcohol, Tony recovered and began to run Chapter 1836 of Military with a Purple Heart. Because the Vietnam War had made such a profound impact on his family, Mike was already considering painting a mural for Vietnam veterans when CMP coordinator Jane Madrigal approached him at the 1906 Gallery about leading his third San Anto mural. Mike sketched a design and presented it at a series of community meetings. At first, some community members were concerned when they heard that they mural would deal with the controversial Vietnam War, but quickly embraced Mike’s concept and the story behind it. Volunteer artists including Jeff Diaz, Jose Cosme, Gerry Garcia, Cardee Garcia, and Mary Agnes Rodriguez helped Mike with the painting, but stayed true to his design.
Especially when Mike painted alone in the evenings, community members would stop to watch him work. Many veterans shared their stories with him. One veteran said that when he flew home to California, he and all the servicemen on his plane had to change into civilian clothing so their presence wouldn’t start a riot on the streets. For every veteran who stopped to talk, Vietnam memories were an emotionally intense blend of pain and camaraderie. Many thanked Mike for the mural because they felt they had never before felt honored for their service in Vietnam. One evening, Mike was painting the campaign ribbon along the bottom of a mural when he felt a pair of eyes behind him. A man was watching from his car in the parking lot of Don Juan’s Restaurant, just across the street. Mike kept painting. A few minutes later, the same man comes walking up the sidewalk towards Mike. He offered Mike a box of chicken. When Mike turned to accept the gift, he saw the man’s eyes full of tears. After a few seconds, the man turned, climbed back into his car, and drove away down Colorado Street.
After the mural was blessed, it sat quietly until the spring of 2016, when property owner Jaime Macias was taking out his trash and happened to glance at the placa. The mural dated from October 2016, and Jaime realized its ten year anniversary was fast approaching. Jaime decided to host a lunch honoring Vietnam veterans at his building at set the date for November 4, 2016. Over 235 veterans attended. Jaime invited people by reaching out to the Edgewood Independent School District, because Edgewood’s 1967 class suffered more casualties from the Vietnam War than any other part of the U.S. Jaime urged Edgewood veterans to invite their friends and their friends’ friends -- and they did! Jaime repeated the event in 2017, pulling both veterans and public figures like Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales, State Senator Menendez, District Attorney Nicola Hood,and Congressman Lloyd Doggett. The reunion is a tricentennial event open to all veterans in 2018.
Despite public attention, Jaime and Mike collaborate to keep the event community-based and focused on veterans. Volunteers help to cook and serve chicken, veterans mingle, Mike speaks, someone reads a poem, and everyone takes a picture together. Jaime sees the event as a way to draw positive attention to the West Side, without causing gentrification or tampering with the spirit of the neighborhood. Jaime’s father Alejandro Macias was an entrepreneur who built up multiple blocks on W. Commerce Street, and Jaime himself is now passionate about preserving the historic West Side. (Note: Alejandro Macias is painted into the middle of Mural #32, Líderes de la Comunidad.)
People respect the mural. In its twelve years of existence, no one has tagged the wall. Every year, more people attend the You Are Not Forgotten event, and the mural attracts more press coverage. Artist Mike Roman measures his success not in the number of news stories his mural garners but in the lives it touches, including the life of his own father. Mike shares this story:
Especially when Mike painted alone in the evenings, community members would stop to watch him work. Many veterans shared their stories with him. One veteran said that when he flew home to California, he and all the servicemen on his plane had to change into civilian clothing so their presence wouldn’t start a riot on the streets. For every veteran who stopped to talk, Vietnam memories were an emotionally intense blend of pain and camaraderie. Many thanked Mike for the mural because they felt they had never before felt honored for their service in Vietnam. One evening, Mike was painting the campaign ribbon along the bottom of a mural when he felt a pair of eyes behind him. A man was watching from his car in the parking lot of Don Juan’s Restaurant, just across the street. Mike kept painting. A few minutes later, the same man comes walking up the sidewalk towards Mike. He offered Mike a box of chicken. When Mike turned to accept the gift, he saw the man’s eyes full of tears. After a few seconds, the man turned, climbed back into his car, and drove away down Colorado Street.
After the mural was blessed, it sat quietly until the spring of 2016, when property owner Jaime Macias was taking out his trash and happened to glance at the placa. The mural dated from October 2016, and Jaime realized its ten year anniversary was fast approaching. Jaime decided to host a lunch honoring Vietnam veterans at his building at set the date for November 4, 2016. Over 235 veterans attended. Jaime invited people by reaching out to the Edgewood Independent School District, because Edgewood’s 1967 class suffered more casualties from the Vietnam War than any other part of the U.S. Jaime urged Edgewood veterans to invite their friends and their friends’ friends -- and they did! Jaime repeated the event in 2017, pulling both veterans and public figures like Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales, State Senator Menendez, District Attorney Nicola Hood,and Congressman Lloyd Doggett. The reunion is a tricentennial event open to all veterans in 2018.
Despite public attention, Jaime and Mike collaborate to keep the event community-based and focused on veterans. Volunteers help to cook and serve chicken, veterans mingle, Mike speaks, someone reads a poem, and everyone takes a picture together. Jaime sees the event as a way to draw positive attention to the West Side, without causing gentrification or tampering with the spirit of the neighborhood. Jaime’s father Alejandro Macias was an entrepreneur who built up multiple blocks on W. Commerce Street, and Jaime himself is now passionate about preserving the historic West Side. (Note: Alejandro Macias is painted into the middle of Mural #32, Líderes de la Comunidad.)
People respect the mural. In its twelve years of existence, no one has tagged the wall. Every year, more people attend the You Are Not Forgotten event, and the mural attracts more press coverage. Artist Mike Roman measures his success not in the number of news stories his mural garners but in the lives it touches, including the life of his own father. Mike shares this story:
Mike's preliminary drawing of his father in Vietnam, looking at a picture of his mother
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The first year we did this of course I got there fashionably late. It was probably 300 or 400 people and my dad had pulled me to the side right when we got there. And my dad you know, he’s pretty hardcore, and he pulls me to the side and he hugs me, and he tells me, ‘Before all the chaos, son, I just want to tell you I’m proud of you and I love you.’ And he held it in but he had a little tear coming down, I saw it. |
About the Artist
As a kid growing up in the Westside, Mike was always drawing. When he was 22 and studying for his GED, a worker at the Willie Velasquez Community Center noticed Mike’s interest in art and encouraged him to reach out to San Anto Cultural Arts. Manny Castillo (Founder and Executive Director) was impressed with Mike’s ability and asked if he wanted to lead a mural. An artist had begun the Salvación mural on El Paso Street, but left it unfinished. Mike took the job and finished his first mural before he turned 23. Later, Mike interned for renowned San Antonio artist Jesse Treviño as his assistant on the Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital mural, The Spirit of Healing. Mike stayed involved in the San Antonio art scene, working part time at the 1906 gallery, assisting with the mural Mano a Mano, and leading the Vietnam memorial mural You Are Not Forgotten. Now Mike lives on a South Side ranch with his wife and two dogs. Clients pay him to restore old cars, and he continues to paint in his spare time.