Description

‘Of The Troops For The Troops’ WWII miniature Statue.

  • Cast out of a compound of industrial resin and marble dust.
  • Beautiful and durable.
  • Space for custom plague on front of statue

Size: Statue measures: 12 inches tall, 6 inches wide and 5 1/2 inches long.

*Price includes partial shipping and handling*

“Of the Troops and for the Troops” significant meaning:
The famous 1942 U.S. War Department “Of the Troops and for the Troops” Military Police poster is the inspiration for this statue, installed in 2010. The Military Police Soldier stands with determination, as in the painting, ready to lead and bring order to the battlefield. The U.S. Army commissioned the poster soon after the 26 September 1941 establishment of the Corps of Military Police as a permanent branch of the U.S. Army. The original artwork remains under the care of the Center of Military History as part of its Army Art Collection. Military Police today still identify with the iconic poster which portrays the role of MP Soldiers in combat.
War Department artist Jes Wilhelm Schlaikjer (1897-1982) created the original oil painting; he also produced many other distinctive works of art for the military during the Second World War. Schlaikjer was a well-known illustrator and artist prior to and following the war, and among his works were portraits of prominent military leaders including President Eisenhower.
Schlaikjer’s model for the painting was Sergeant William A. Fotta, an MP then assigned to the 703rd MP Battalion of the Arlington (VA) Cantonment. Fotta posed for thirteen days, for ten to twelve hours each day. Following this unusual but memorable assignment, Fotta transferred to the Provost Marshal General’s School. His service career included action during the Normandy Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. He was also among the first troops to liberate the Dachau Concentration Camp and later served as a personal bodyguard for general officers and as the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of the Guards of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He retired as a First Sergeant in 1960.

SKU: I11