GREENVILLE – Well-known artist Don Mong, a Greenville resident, was recently requested by the Rhode Island Army National Guard to paint a large 30-foot by 25-foot mural of paratroopers for the unit.
Rhode Island has “Leapfest” each year, an event for international paratroopers from all over the world to travel to Roade Island for competition jumping. The organization planned to upgrade its simulator room by adding helicopter seats along a large wall and with a large mural depicting parachute jumping.
“They wanted to put helicopter seats so while they are waiting their turn, they can sit in helicopter seats,” said Mong. “They are also going to hang parachutes and make it a special place.”
Mong has donated numerous hours and painting projects to organizations over the years, with a particular emphasis on supporting the United States military.
Don, a 1975 graduate of Greenville High School, married his high school sweetheart, Sherry, right out of high school and soon joined the United States Army.
“I played football in high school,” Mong noted. “I was relatively successful, but I didn’t know what I wanted, and I knew I needed some structure. A lot of my friends were drafted and went to Vietnam. That was the end of the war in 1975, and I had the desire to join the Army, and I am glad I did.”
As a freshman at GHS, Mong played on an undefeated freshman football team coached by Dick Mcgreevey and Dick Powers, the same year the Green Wave varsity football team went undefeated.
“It is a cool thing, both the varsity and the freshman teams were undefeated that year,” Mong said of his freshman season at Greenville.
When requested by the Rhode Island National Guard to paint a mural for the unit, Mong managed to work the project into his busy schedule.
“I had a window of opportunity and I did it,” said Mong. “It took me 50 hours on a sizzor lift, hand-painted all those images, four paratroopers, and I painted the helicopters on there, an inbound Chinook and an outbound Chinook. I also did the racetrack where they go around, and the Chinooks drop troopers and make another loop, and it came out amazing.”
The mural is on a much larger scale than most of Mong’s work, which is typically done with watercolors, due to his and Sherry’s extensive traveling across the country. With watercolors, he only has to take minimal materials on the road.
“It took a gallon of blue paint to paint the sky, and I had all the other paintings and the paint I had to use,” he noted.” I drew it all out first. I drew every image on the wall and then went through and underpainted it, which meant I painted the background first, and then I painted on top of it. On the parachutes, I airbrushed lines in them, which gave it dimension.”
With the completion of the mural, the military showed its appreciation to Mong for his service and dedication to painting the impressive mural.
“They had all kinds of Brass come through looking at it,” Mong said. “They were amazed at how it happened. One day, there’s a blank wall there, and they come in a week later, and there’s a 25 x 30 foot mural on the wall.”
Mong still appreciates his time in the US Army and his service to his country.
“The Army guys are awesome, I love being near them,” Mong stated. “I miss being in the Army. I made some wonderful friends. They are an amazing group of guys.”
“If I can help a veteran or a military organization, I’m all in,” Mong concluded. “As long as I can hold a paintbrush in my hand, I will help my Army guys.”
Don and Sherry will spend a significant amount of time at the 2025 Gathering at Garst.
