LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
A new project at the 37th Mission Support Squadron has brought a new sense of pride to the Military Personnel Flight building, Bldg. 5616.
A mural, painted on one of the walls inside the building, showcases the Airman's Creed with a bright blue background and illustrations to bring out the sentiment of the creed.
"The creed has been out for almost a year," said 37th MSS Commander Col. Joel Jones. "There were posters being hung all over the place right after it came out, but I thought maybe we could put our heads together and come up with something better than a poster."
Colonel Jones said two of his Airmen jumped at the chance to create a mural in a prominent place in the building.
"They came in and did it on their own time in two days, and it turned out beautifully," he said.
Airman 1st Class Ingemar Peralta said the idea for the mural was his.
"I wanted to design a mural that included everyone," he said. "The [Airman] on the left side represents present Airmen. The memorial on the right side represents the past Airmen."
Airman 1st Class Shelly Kerstanski said they split the manual labor equally.
"We both took turns painting the blue background," she said. "I did the words to the Airman's Creed and the words on the sides of the mural. All in all it took about 14 hours. We did seven hours on Friday after work and then seven on Saturday morning."
Both Airmen said they felt good about the piece of artwork.
"I hope people who see it understand what it means to be an Airman, and hopefully it will help them memorize it if they see it every time they walk by," said Airman Peralta.
"I think people will start to see that a little bit of time can definitely make you proud of what you do and how you produce things in your job," said Airman Kerstanski.
Whatever the outcome, the Airmen said they feel a sense of pride looking back on what they've done.
"It feels very good," said Airman Kerstanski. "It makes me proud to be a part of the military, to be a part of the Air Force and to have a part in Lackland."
"I know I'll be leaving a piece of myself here at Lackland," said Airman Peralta.