Fort Bliss Monitor

Team Deuce conducts Safety Day

Sgt. Nikki Agee
5035th GSU Public Affairs

Aybar painted this mural of his unit crest on one of the walls in the Officers’ Club.

Sgt. Pedro Aybar stands beside his one of his post murals painted on the third floor of Bldg. 1001.

A true painter, Sgt. Pedro Aybar carries paint and brushes in the trunk of his car for emergencies, the way most people tote jumper cables.

“You never know when you’re going to need them,” said the 5035th Garrison Support Unit S-4 sergeant, grinning.

With increasing requests for murals by different organizations on post, Aybar is prepared to paint at a moment’s notice.

Already, the Puerto Rican native has completed two murals on Fort Bliss. One was painted in a conference room on the third floor of Bldg. 1001 at the request of his unit commander.

The second – the Tough Hombre unit crest – was painted opposite the main bar in the Officers’ Club as part of an MWR project requiring all units on post to paint their unit crest.

After MWR personnel saw his work at the Officers’ Club, they asked him to paint a mural to represent MWR, which Aybar recently finished.

Aybar is also continuing work on a fourth mural in Bldg. 2445, which he began while he was on medical hold for the 5035th GSU in February 2003.

In addition, Aybar has been commissioned to create a Team Bliss billboard 100 feet long by eight feet tall. The billboard, which will incorporate the Team Bliss logo with pictures of Soldiers and their families, will face the freeway on the west side of the Officers’ Club, and Aybar is scheduled to begin the project during the new fiscal year.

Although Aybar has painted most of his murals in private homes or in local businesses like Forti’s Restaurant and Thomason General Hospital, Aybar said he also enjoys painting murals for the military.

“I’m trying to be a visual person for the Soldiers,” he said. “You don’t have the Soldiers here explaining or showing people what they do – only what you see on TV; I’m doing something that’s going to be permanent, like a memorial that shows the hard work and the persistence that these Soldiers have had in our national defense. Plus, [the murals are] a morale booster for the families. Even though I pass away, these murals are going to be here, hopefully, for the next generation. They’re something for us to remember Soldiers by and at the same time to honor them.”

Aybar, who is primarily a self-trained muralist and artist, joined the 5035th GSU in May 2003 after serving in the medical hold unit with 5035th when his previous unit’s mission to Iraq was cancelled. While there, Aybar served as a supply sergeant, a painter and a caricaturist.

To see more of Aybar’s work, or to contact him, call 778-8978.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	January 6, 2005

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	Team Deuce conducts Safety Day Sgt. Nikki Agee 5035th GSU Public Affairs Aybar painted this mural of his unit crest on one of the walls in the Officers’ Club. Sgt. Pedro Aybar stands beside his one of his post murals painted on the third floor of Bldg. 1001. A true painter, Sgt. Pedro Aybar carries paint and brushes in the trunk of his car for emergencies, the way most people tote jumper cables. “You never know when you’re going to need them,” said the 5035th Garrison Support Unit S-4 sergeant, grinning. With increasing requests for murals by different organizations on post, Aybar is prepared to paint at a moment’s notice. Already, the Puerto Rican native has completed two murals on Fort Bliss. One was painted in a conference room on the third floor of Bldg. 1001 at the request of his unit commander. The second – the Tough Hombre unit crest – was painted opposite the main bar in the Officers’ Club as part of an MWR project requiring all units on post to paint their unit crest. After MWR personnel saw his work at the Officers’ Club, they asked him to paint a mural to represent MWR, which Aybar recently finished. Aybar is also continuing work on a fourth mural in Bldg. 2445, which he began while he was on medical hold for the 5035th GSU in February 2003. In addition, Aybar has been commissioned to create a Team Bliss billboard 100 feet long by eight feet tall. The billboard, which will incorporate the Team Bliss logo with pictures of Soldiers and their families, will face the freeway on the west side of the Officers’ Club, and Aybar is scheduled to begin the project during the new fiscal year. Although Aybar has painted most of his murals in private homes or in local businesses like Forti’s Restaurant and Thomason General Hospital, Aybar said he also enjoys painting murals for the military. “I’m trying to be a visual person for the Soldiers,” he said. “You don’t have the Soldiers here explaining or showing people what they do – only what you see on TV; I’m doing something that’s going to be permanent, like a memorial that shows the hard work and the persistence that these Soldiers have had in our national defense. Plus, [the murals are] a morale booster for the families. Even though I pass away, these murals are going to be here, hopefully, for the next generation. They’re something for us to remember Soldiers by and at the same time to honor them.” Aybar, who is primarily a self-trained muralist and artist, joined the 5035th GSU in May 2003 after serving in the medical hold unit with 5035th when his previous unit’s mission to Iraq was cancelled. While there, Aybar served as a supply sergeant, a painter and a caricaturist. To see more of Aybar’s work, or to contact him, call 778-8978.