New Nose Art On Sierra Sue II Accredited To Lieutenant Colonel At WWII Reenactment

By Maria Morrison

On Wednesday, in the hot sun of Wisconsin, Kevin Wisniewski put his final touches on the cowling of Sierra Sue II, a Mustang on display in Warbirds. He had already spent a week figuring out how to paint the pinup cowgirl on the side of the aircraft, having only black and white photos from 1942 to go off of. The name, in cursive, and the woman were both painted by hand, not a single stencil or airbrush used.

Kevin has been painting 1940's art for 20 years. When his father, a WWII veteran, died in the mid 80's, Wisniewski wanted to memorialize all the men who fought in WWII. He noticed that many artists recreating nose art were not doing it by hand, like it had been done during the war. Kevin began painting the backs of leather jackets and the sides of armored vehicles. He also came to AirVenture with some friends and stated Miller Field, a WWII reenactment camp.

While Kevin does not fly himself, he is an aviation enthusiast. A former firefighter, when he was offered the chance to paint Sierra Sue II, he didn't hesitate. He traveled to where it was being restored and spent a week figuring out the correct colors and taking measurements. Wisniewski normally paints two or three jackets a year, yet he is already working on his fourth for this year.

Two of Kevin's jackets are on display in his 'Base Commander's' tent. He also brings out his vintage paintbox and does some work on the field, such as putting invasion stripes on Sierra Sue II in full uniform. Every part of his painting is exactly like that in WWII, except he uses an acrylic leather dye on his jackets so they don't crack and fade.

Miller Field now has 57 reenactors. This includes several women as members of the USO. When reenacting, people stay focused. They don't use their cell phones or even drink out of plastic water bottles. They joke around with friends in their own rank, and identify those of a higher rank as 'sir'. Everyone there is committed to bringing a small part of the past to the public.

FMI: http://www.eaa.org/en/airventure