A patriotic mural is in the works at a busy Tampa intersection, and it's getting a lot of attention.
Just beyond the gravestones of fallen heroes at the American Legion Post 5 cemetery, symbols of their sacrifices are coming to life with each stroke of a paintbrush.
"I've never done anything else like this," said muralist Heather Tabman.
"I've been out here 7-8 hours a day," she said, as she put the finishing touches on the wings of a bald eagle. “It feels like you're doing something good, like people really appreciate this they enjoy seeing it.”
Honking horns, and drivers taking pictures while stopped at the red light at N. Dale Mabry Hwy and W. Kennedy Blvd are all signs of success to Tabman – and the veterans who hired her for the job. The mural underway on the walls of American Legion Post 5 in Tampa is meant to send a message.
"We thought we should be able to do that every day, for every veteran who passes by or a family of veterans and say, 'thank you,'" said Army veteran Thomas Kester.
“Pretty cool, I wish we'd practice a little more of it,” one driver said out his car window.
“I have half my family in the military, so I think it's good they're trying to make it pretty for the veterans,” said another driver.
It's not just a pretty painting.
On the mural you’ll notice a cross, a grieving soldier, and a field of red.
"Poppy flowers grew in this area where the battles took place," said Tabman about the flowers she painted on a field depicting the place where many lost their lives during WWI
There’s also a poem about the bloody battle – and veterans like Bill Hamblin know it well.
"What Flander's field represents, and what it's always represented since WWI, that is death during war - and that's the sad part," said Hamblin.
"I almost felt guilty that I didn't know about it before,” Tabman said, “So I was happy to learn what it was and I've been teaching other people who come up to me as I’m painting."
Whether it's a history lesson, or even just a moment of appreciation, the reactions are just what the vets were hoping for.
Hamblin said the eagle represents strength, the olive branch is for peace – and he wants the American flag to inspire everyone.
They’re hoping the mural might even motivate someone to take time out of their busy day to walk through the veterans’ cemetery, and say ‘thank you’, themselves.
The U.S.S. Tampa post is one of the oldest American legion posts in Florida. Funding for the mural is sponsored in part by Bay News 9’s parent company, Bright House Networks.