Here is one more similar piece inspired by the M-1.
I recently attended the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture Event in Oshkosh, WI. While I was there, I was walking around looking at the exhibits and booths when I came across a man selling a variety of military helmets from throughout history. I saw that he had some M-1 Helmets for sale. (The M-1 helmet was used from World War II all the way through the Korean War by Americans and Allies.) I have always wanted to own an M-1 and was thrilled to find that price was less than 100 bucks for a helmet dating to 1951. My new helmet really got me thinking about the powerful image that combat helmets like the M-1 have come to represent in our culture. Partly due to movies and pop culture, the sight of an M-1 says honor, duty, loyalty, and of course, America to me, while a German M-42 might say something very different. The M-1, in fact, has become such an evocative symbol, that modern U. S. Military helmets are patterned to look like it, and other countries (like South Korea) have used M-1s long after they were technologically outdated for what the image communicates. Actually, the M-1 is still used today with various alterations and modifications despite the fact that kevlar allows for lighter, more functional helmets with greater bullet-stopping-power. The M-1 inspired this art from last week.
