Photo By Jennifer McCarthy | Camilllo (Tony) Signora shakes hands with Command Sgt. Maj.Bonita Davis in front of...... read more read more
FORT DIX , N.J. -- Army Support Activity –Dix did more than celebrate the Army’s Birthday, June 14, it also recognized the artistic contribution of one of its own.
Camillo (Tony) Signora, a Korean War veteran and former Dix employee was reunited with a work of art he thought long gone. Signora was a graphic artist at Fort Dix Training Support Center when he was tasked to make a wooden replica of the Ultimate Weapon statue in 1984.
Maj. Gen. Thomas Kelly who was Fort Dix commander at the time, needed a portable sculpture representing Fort Dix symbol to take to a meeting at the Pentagon. Though Signora had no experience in wood carving, he took on the challenge of creating a portable version of the metal sculpture, which now sits in Infantry Park.
Signora set to work transforming a block of white pine into an almost life-sized replica of the Ultimate Weapon statue using just a drill, a hammer and a chisel.
After two months of effort, Signora’s magnum opus ventured to the Pentagon for the meeting and when it returned to Dix, the piece found a home at what was then the Reception Center, now the Air Mobility Warfare Center. This is where it was located when Signora brought his 30-year career as an Army civilian to an end in 1985. Aside from a scrap book detailing the creation of the statue and the subsequent honors he garnered from the general for his work, Signora said he gave little
more thought to his artwork.
That was until last year, when Signora’s friend, Larry Obetz, saw an article about the original Ultimate Weapon statue in the Fort Dix Post newspaper and remembered Signora’s tale of a creating a similar statue.
Obetz asked Signora what became of the statue but Signora thought that after more than two decades, the statue had surely been destroyed.
“I thought maybe it got cold one night and someone chopped it up for firewood,” said Signora.
Signora traveled to Dix with his wife Marie, Obetz and his friend Marie Stines, to see firsthand that the piece had not ended up in a bonfire. Instead the work found a home in the foyer of the Dix Command Conference Room in Building 5435.
Signora and his companions were treated to a small ceremony at the Dix Headquarters. Signora even helped cut an Army birthday cake with ASA-Dix commander and command sergeant major, Col. Patrick Slowey and Command Sgt. Maj. Bonita Davis before going to visit the artwork.
“I’m happy to see it. I’d be happier to see it if it was in the same way as when I made it, but I am happy to see it,” said Signora.
Originally the carving was housed in a handmade case, with special lighting and a hand painted background, but today the whereabouts of the case is no longer known. It is possible that it may have been disposed of after it was damaged.
Signora said that in order to create the sculpture, which stands about five- and-a- half feet tall, he took photos of the original statue and blew them up to the size he wanted. He then made an outline of a chunk of wood. The carpentry shop cut out a rough outline of the work and Signora set about creating the rest of the piece. Though he had no formal training in wood-working, Signora said he “used his good noodles,” while pointing to his head, to create the details which include such things as real cord used for the laces on the boots.
With a small crowd of friends and Dix employees gathered around the statue, Slowey and Davis presented Signora with coins for his artistic prowess and his military contributions during the Korean War.
Though Signora was born in the United States, his family moved to Italy when he was still an infant. As a young adult, he was informed that in order to maintain his citizenship he need to register for selective service. So in 1952, a 24-year old Signora boarded a troop ship to the United States to begin basic training at Fort Dix.
Signora spoke no English when he arrived for basic training but he was not daunted. He taught himself how to read and write English and embraced his new life. After two years of military service, he enrolled in the Trenton School of Industrial Arts and then began a career at Fort Dix as a civilian illustrator.
“This is a great day, “said Signora, “but I owe it all to him,” he said pointing to his friend Obetz, whose search to find the artwork, rekindled old memories.
| Date Taken: | 06.18.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 06.18.2010 10:45 |
| Story ID: | 51607 |
| Location: | FORT DIX, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 359 |
| Downloads: | 223 |
This work, Carving a niche in Dix history, by Jennifer McCarthy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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