Photo By Tech. Sgt. Robin Strickland | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Tiara Gripka, 52nd Force Support Squadron postal clerk,...... read more read more
SPANGDAHLEM AIR FORCE BASE, Germany -
Ever since she was a little girl, Staff Sgt. Tiara Rose Gripka loved to draw. She would spend hours doing black and white sketches of things she saw when out with her mother. Now, over a decade later, she’s putting her artistic abilities to use in the Air Force, just not in the way she initially imagined.
“I came into the Air Force hoping to do graphic design, but I was told that it didn’t exist as a career field anymore so I just sort of ended up in the post office,” said Gripka, 52nd Force Support Squadron postal clerk. “Which is why I feel so blessed to be able to do this at work.”
If you’ve been to the post office recently, you may have noticed the new mural covering one of the walls in the main room, courtesy of Staff Sgt. Gripka, who spent months slowly breathing life into every inch of it. The mural depicts military postal clerks sorting and delivering mail in fun and unique ways.
“Most people think of postal like, why is that part of the military?” explained Gripka. “They think it should be contracted out. My goal for this mural is to showcase why we’re important to the military and how we’re different from civilian postal workers and also hopefully boost (the) morale of my coworkers when they come in and see it every day. I also hope kids come in and see it and go ‘Wow! Do you guys really do stuff like that?’ I just wanted to make what we do here seem cool,” she laughed, then quickly added, “Which it is!”
Hearing her talk, and seeing the meticulous detail she put into crafting this mural, someone could be forgiven for thinking that this was something that she does often. That is not the case.
“This is my second base, and only the second time I’ve painted something this large,” she said. “Actually, I never really painted anything until I joined the military. I would only ever sketch things. The project I did at my first base was my first real painting and I fell in love with it. It was for the COM Squadron Heritage Hall and it went around the entire room on all four walls.”
Generally speaking, individuals who are inexperienced at something will often start small and work their way up to bigger projects. When asked why she decided to start with a four-wall painting for her first project as a novice painter, she smiled and replied, “I like a challenge.”
She was also tasked with designing the coin for the Communications Squadron, which she considers a great honor. “People are getting the Commander’s coin that I designed,” she exclaimed. “I love that kind of stuff! It’s so exciting.”
Gripka credits her mother for her love and dedication to art.
“My mom was into art but got too busy for it, which she regretted,” said Gripka. “She told me to not let the same happen to me. Which I almost did in my first year or two in (the military). I kind of didn’t have time for it anymore. So the fact that I get to do these murals is extra special.”
While she does love creating art, and considers it a passion, she has since found another outlet.
“I’ve seen people make a career out of their art, and I’ve been paid for my art in the past, but honestly I plan to make a career out of the Air Force.”
But her hope is that these murals will continue to allow her to combine her two passions for years to come.
“It would be awesome to do this at every base I go to,” she said. “To leave a little bit of myself behind at every base that will last for years… I don’t know, it’s a great feeling.”
| Date Taken: | 10.15.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 10.15.2020 04:57 |
| Story ID: | 380920 |
| Location: | SPANGDAHLEM, RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 455 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Artistic Airman Leaves Lasting Impression, by TSgt Robin Strickland, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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