Clay Maquette. Image credit: U.S. Army

SPECIAL FORCES HISTORY

Born of Clay Before Bronze

The Special Warfare Memorial Statue

By Laura S. Goddard

From Veritas, Vol. 10, No. 1, 2014

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Born of clay, the Special Warfare Memorial Statue, more commonly referred to as the ‘Green Beret Soldier’ statue, began life in the Spring of 1968 at the studio of renowned sculptor Donald De Lue, in Leonardo, NJ.1 Designed to represent the Special Forces soldier, the statue started out as a ‘maquette’ or prototype, a sculptor’s rough, small scale model, of the proposed sculpture.2 This ‘salesman’s sample’ shows commissioning clients, in this case the Special Warfare Memorial Committee, what to expect.

Once the Special Warfare Memorial Committee was satisfied with the artist’s rendering, De Lue created a full size version in clay.3 When it was finished, the sculptor invited the memorial committee to visit his studio for final approval.4 With their blessing he proceeded to the next stage, preparation of the plaster cast. This was the mold for the bronze statue. The clay model was carefully laid in a wooden ‘coffin’ and plaster was poured all around it. Then the hardened plaster cast shell was fully cut away for shipment to the foundary in Viareggio, Italy. There, molten bronze was poured into the plaster cast.5

After the bronze cooled and hardened, the cast was broken away. The statue then had the flashing ground off. Finally it was cleaned and polished and a protective coating applied before being sent to the U. S. Army John F. Kennedy Center for Special Warfare, at Ft. Bragg, NC.6

The Special Warfare Memorial statue, symbolic of the dual role of Special Forces as “constructors as well as destructors,”7 is 17 feet high. The soldier alone is 12 feet tall.8 The SF soldier is standing atop a concrete and marble pedestal.

Inside the base is a time capsule containing a bust of President John F. Kennedy, and a book of quotations from his speeches, as well as berets with the appropriate insignia and flashes of Special Forces units, active, reserve, and National Guard at the time.9

ENDNOTES

  1. Donald De Lue, “Both Heart and Mind of Sculptor Donald De Lue Part of Bronze Artwork,” Veritas (Vol. VII, No. 16, 26 November 1969), 3. [return]
  2. Maquette - French, from the Italian macchietta, meaning speck, or little spot, sketch, diminutive of macchia, ultimately from Latin macula ‘spot.’ [return]
  3. Donald De Lue, Veritas, 3. [return]
  4. Donald De Lue, Veritas, 3. [return]
  5. Donald De Lue, Veritas, 3 [return]
  6. Program of Events, Dedication of the Green Beret Statue, “Ceremony Culminates Five-Year Effort,” 26 November 1969, 9, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  7. Major General Edward M. Flanagan, Jr., Program of Events, Dedication of the Green Beret Statue, “Statue dedicated to memory of fallen soldiers,” 26 November 1969, 11, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  8. Donald De Lue, Veritas, 3. [return]
  9. Program of Events, Dedication of the Green Beret Statue, 26 November 1969, 13, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]