Michael D. Fay - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Michael D. Fay is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

artist, chiefly known as a USMC

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

combat artist. Before his retirement from the Corps, he was war artist

War artist

A war artist depicts some aspect of war through art; this might be a pictorial record or it might commemorate how "war shapes lives." War artists have explored a visual and sensory dimension of war which is often absent in written histories or other accounts of warfare.- Definition and context:A...

serving in Iraq.

Fay is currently an artist-correspondent embedded with US troops in Afghanistan; When he is not in a war zone, he lives in Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg, Virginia

Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...

, VA

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

Military career

Fay enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1975 and was discharged 1978 as a 81 mm mortarman (MOS 0341).

In 1978 he returned to The Pennsylvania State University

Pennsylvania State University

The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...

and graduated in 1982 with a Bachelors of Science in Art Education. He then re-enlisted into the Marines in 1983 and served as an avionics technician (MOS 6322) working on CH-46s, VH-3Ds, CH-53Es and UH/AH-1s in both the Presidential Helicopter Squadron (HMX-1) and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 365 (HMM-365) until 1993. In addition to his technical assignments Fay served a tour on recruiting duty (MOS 8411) at Recruiting Station Baltimore and was their recruiter of the year for both 1989 and 1990. He left active duty at the end of September 1993.

Fay returned to service in the Marine Corps Reserve in January 2000. He was assigned as an official combat artist with the National Museum of the Marine Corps Combat Art Collection. He is now retired from the Marine Corps.

War artist

The United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

supports two combat artists to produce fine art based on their experience of combat and the life of fellow Marines in the field.

Chief Warrant Officer-2

Chief Warrant Officer

Chief warrant officer is a military rank used by the Canadian Forces and the Israel Defence Forces.-Canada:In the Canadian Forces, a chief warrant officer or CWO is the most senior non-commissioned member rank in the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force...

(CWO2) Fay's artwork work is in the Marine Corps Combat Art collection and in the National Museum of the Marine Corps

National Museum of the Marine Corps

The National Museum of the Marine Corps is the historical museum of the United States Marine Corps. It is located in Quantico, Virginia and is open to the public with free admission. The museum had its grand opening on November 10, 2006 and is now the number one tourist attraction in Virginia,...

. His work is also in the collection of the James A. Michener Art Museum

James A. Michener Art Museum

The James A. Michener Art Museum is a private, non-profit museum in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania founded in 1988 and named for the Pulitzer Prize–winning writer James A. Michener, a Doylestown resident...

in Doylestown

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

Doylestown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 8,380. The borough is the county seat of Bucks County.- History :...

, PA

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

,

Fay's artwork has also been published in Leatherneck Magazine

Leatherneck Magazine

Leatherneck Magazine of the Marines is a magazine for United States Marines. It was first published as a newspaper by off-duty Marines at Marine Corps Base Quantico in 1917, and was originally named The Quantico Leatherneck...

, the official magazine of the Marine Corps

Marine corps

A marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...

. Fay has also published his written work in the New York Times.

Second career

In summer 2010, Fay was in Afghanistan working as a correspondent embedded with Marine units in Afghanistan. Serial illustrations and reports from the front comprise
his "Kandahar Journal," which is published and archived by the National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...

of Toronto.

Honors and awards

Throughout his Marine Corps career he has received more than 21 military honors including 2 Combat Action Ribbons, Navy Commendation Medal, and 2 Navy Achievement Medal

Achievement Medal

The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States military. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize the contributions of junior officers and enlisted personnel who were not eligible to receive the higher Commendation Medal or the Meritorious Service...

s.

In 1986 Fay earned his Naval Aircrew Wings

Aircrew Badge

The Aircrew Badge, commonly known as Wings, is a qualification badge of the United States military that is awarded by all five branches of armed services to personnel who serve as crew members on board military aircraft. The badge is intended to recognize the training and qualifications required...

as a VH-3D crewchief and the Presidential Service Badge

Presidential Service Badge

The Presidential Service Badge is a badge of the United States military issued to service members who serve as full-time military staff to the President of the United States...

.

In December 2009, CWO2 Fay was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his outstanding service as a Combat Artist.

External links

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