Operation: Home Ties
"Faces of Remembrance" will be at the Chelmsford Library
for the month of November

Reception: Saturday, November 6, 2010 from 2-4 p.m.
Music by pianists David Chen, Siyuan Ma, Fangru Jiang and Kevin Kong

Operation: Home Ties is an ongoing volunteer mission by Woburn portrait artist, Gina Johnson, to honor the memory of ALL our Massachusetts (and New England) soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who have served and died since 9/11/01 by replacing each name with a detailed pencil portrait, giving the original portrait to each family, and then sharing the exhibit on a Traveling Tribute Wall called “Faces of Remembrance.”

The project’s inspiration came to Gina in December 2007, after seeing an online tribute to our Massachusetts Fallen Heroes. Accessing the links to photos and articles, Gina - a self proclaimed “volunteer-aholic” and mother of two, made a personal connection as she looked into the eyes of each soldier and read the heartfelt message repeated by their parents saying that they did not want their son or daughter to be forgotten. It was at that moment that she felt compelled to reach out using her artistic touch to pay it forward to each family by drawing and presenting them with a detailed pencil memory portrait of their loved one as a gesture of support and healing.

While discussing her project with the owner of a popular Woburn restaurant in April 2008, Gina suggested the idea of possibly setting up her table easel one night a week to share the progress of the portraits with his customers. Without hesitation, Peter Mamakos agreed to join forces to make "The Restaurant" at 489 Main Street - home base for Operation: Home Ties where Gina can be found every Monday night from 5:30 to closing since their official kick-off date on May 5, 2008.

Accessing photos of the fallen heroes from either newspaper articles or directly from families to draw the memory portraits, Gina had completed 44 portraits just as the elections were taking place to elect our 44th President. Thanks to an offer of help from her brother Paul Roth, plans were put into motion to display all the hometown heroes side by side for the first public exhibit of "Faces of Remembrance", which was held on January 30, 2009 at the Burlington American Legion Hall. That night, State Senator Ken Donnelly, who was in attendance, resolved to bring this exhibit to the Massachusetts State House; a promise that he kept on June 10, 2009 when he co-hosted an event with Senate President Therese Murray. Since that day, Gina and her brother have remained dedicated in their efforts to share the positive message of this memorial as a celebration of these hometown heroes' lives by bringing the Traveling Tribute portrait exhibit to towns and cities across Massachusetts. For Gina, the eyes have always been the focus of her portraits, which she believes are the mirrors of the soul. And it is through the eyes of each memory portrait that Gina hopes to capture the attention of every person who views the exhibit so that these hometown heroes’ names and images will be forever etched in their hearts and minds.

It is the wish of all involved in this heartfelt mission, that this display continues to be a living memorial to highlight and recognize not only the ultimate sacrifice made by these unwavering patriots but also the on-going hardships borne by those left behind. It is just as important that we keep in our prayers those men and women who are still serving, those who have served, and those who continue to recover from related physical or emotional injuries. They are all true American heroes.

Gina Johnson - OperationHomeTies@gmail.com