The Brunswick News

Local sculptor Anthony Quickle has always had a soft spot for dogs, but he had no idea that it would be a bronze canine that would thrust him into the national spotlight.

Quickle's sculpture was chosen by the Vietnam Dog Handlers Association for the National War Dog Memorial, which is slated to be erected on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., not far from the Vietnam War Memorial site.

The announcement in mid-January that Quickle had been selected from a field of more than 300 sculptors was surprising and gratifying for the St. Simons Island artist.

"I don't know how they ended up choosing me, but this is really huge," said Quickle. "This is my Oscars."

The Golden Isles is getting a sneak peek at the memorial Friday, before any camera-toting tourists ever lay eyes on it.

A one-fourth scale model of the memorial will be on display at the Glenda Cason Gallery from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday during the Downtown Brunswick Art Gallery Stroll. Quickle will also be on hand to answer questions.

The War Dog Memorial is more than just a sculpture to Quickle, however.

Quickle spent countless hours speaking with military dog handlers, primarily from the Vietnam War, during the process of designing the memorial. He listened to their stories and was touched when they broke down in tears, recalling the dogs they left behind when American troops pulled out of Vietnam.

Some 4,000 dogs were used in Vietnam.

The military's working dogs were considered surplus equipment at the end of the war and were either euthanized or left behind, he said.

"That's one reason why this memorial is important," said Quickle. "A lot of people don't realize their contributions.

"The dogs would go out on patrol and be on point with their handlers. They would be the first ones to encounter mines, booby traps, ambushes and snipers."

War dogs saved an estimated 10,000 American lives during Vietnam, said Quickle. The Vietnam War Memorial would have to be another 84 feet long to accommodate the names of the soldiers who would have died without the dogs.

The dogs were so effective that enemy forces had a bounty on them, said Quickle.

The memorial, privately funded by the Vietnam Dog Handlers Association, will have a bronze dog handler and German shepherd posed as though they have just been alerted to danger mounted on a 10-foot granite base. The dog has one paw raised in honor of all the dogs and handlers that died in service of the United States, said Quickle.

Hidden inside the granite base will be an "honor roll" of sorts for dogs and handlers. Metal plaques will be engraved with the names or identification numbers of the dogs and handlers killed in the line of duty.

There is still a long path to tread before the memorial will be complete.

The Vietnam Dog Handlers Association is still awaiting final Congressional approval, and the approval of several federal agencies, including the National Park Service. While they hope to erect the memorial on the National Mall, it has yet to be determined where the final location will be.

The actual task of creating the two sculptures, the handler and the dog, won't be overnight, either.

Quickle will send his model to a company in California, which will create an nearly actual-size foam model. From there, Quickle will add detail with a layer of clay over the foam.

The next step will take place at a foundry in Atlanta and involves making a rubber and plaster mold of the clay model.

From that point, it will take about another seven months to produce a bronze statute from the mold.

Quickle anticipates it will take about a year to complete the work.

The entire memorial is expected to cost between $600,000 and $700,000.

In the end, the two bronze sculptures will be united with the granite base, which will be created in Chicago, at the memorial site in Washington.

Quickle has already discovered that having a future sculpture on the National Mall carries some cache.

"It has already led to some more opportunities, and I've had people showing more of an interest since the announcement," said Quickle.

In the end, however, Quickle said that knowing that he has helped war dogs and their handlers gain the recognition they deserve is the most gratifying compensation.

"It's such an honor that they have entrusted me to bring their vision to life," said Quickle. "I truly admire the dogs and their handlers, past and present."