{"id":10754,"date":"2025-08-10T13:36:29","date_gmt":"2025-08-10T13:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/?p=10754"},"modified":"2025-08-20T14:36:42","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T14:36:42","slug":"drawn-into-the-story-of-the-maryland-air-national-guard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/2025\/08\/10\/drawn-into-the-story-of-the-maryland-air-national-guard\/","title":{"rendered":"Drawn into the story of the Maryland Air National Guard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Airmen 1st Class Sarah Hoover<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MIDDLE RIVER, Md. —
In a dusty warehouse, an artist, as well as a mother, educator, and veteran, painted a vibrant mural depicting the history of the Maryland Air National Guard. With each brushstroke she brought the canvases to life, which is a testament to her resilience and ability to create beauty that leaves a rich legacy amid a changing landscape.

\u201cMy goal is to create paintings rich in detail that invite the viewer to slow down, look closer, and really spend time with them,\u201d said Maryland Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Rachel Underwood, a public affairs specialist for the 175th Wing. \u201cI wanted each painting to be layered with meaning and detail, something that draws people in and rewards a second, third, or even tenth look.\u201d

For Underwood, creating and composing visual art had always been a part of her life, as natural as breathing air and a core part of who she is. Growing up, she was surrounded by her father\u2019s art, which created an initial spark that led to her making the decision to take her art more seriously. Later in life, Underwood was an apprentice in a tattoo shop, and ultimately enrolled in college to obtain her Bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in fine Art.

\u201cMy dad is my biggest inspiration and best motivator,\u201d said Underwood. \u201cHe ushered me toward art for as long as I can remember and always suggested how to make my work better.\u201d

However, in the process of obtaining her first degree, Underwood sought financial opportunity by enlisting in the U.S. Navy as an electrician. Never in her career did she imagine she would have a chance to use her creative skills while serving in the U.S. military.

Everything changed when she was offered the chance to paint murals while onboard an aircraft carrier.

\u201cMy role wasn\u2019t creative on paper, but once my chain of command found out I was an artist, they had me painting murals aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, an aircraft carrier stationed in Norfolk, VA,\u201d Underwood said.

Underwood has taken on many comprehensive creative projects, such as illustrating a children\u2019s book about a dinosaur looking for an instrument, constructing two murals for the Chief’s Mess on the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), a mural for a hair salon in Baltimore, as well as multiple large-scale paintings during her time in grad school, including an enterable painting that was approximately 10 feet tall and 60 feet long.

After leaving the U.S. Navy in 2014, Underwood had a seven-year break in service. She later learned about the Wing public affairs position at Warfield Air National Base from her husband, Maryland Air National Guard Warrant Officer 1 Nicholas Custead.

\u201cI\u2019ve had the opportunity to blend my passion for art with my role in Public Affairs, and I\u2019m excited to keep finding new ways to do that,\u201d said Underwood. \u201cWhether it’s through storytelling, visual design, or mentoring the next generation of communicators.\u201d

In her role, she tells the story of the Maryland Air National Guard through photo, video, writing, and graphic design. Over the past three years, she\u2019s been asked to tell that story through another medium, and was asked to use her talents to paint an acrylic mural of three panels, two 14.5 feet by 8 feet, and a center panel of 16.5 feet by 6 feet, that were hung at the entrance of the 175th Wing headquarter\u2019s building.

\u201cEach piece was designed to reflect key moments, milestones, and the evolution of who we are as an organization,\u201d said Underwood. \u201cI also hope viewers see the creativity behind the mural\u2014the care in the details, the symbolism, the color choices, and how it\u2019s not just a timeline on a wall; it\u2019s a story told through art.\u201d

A detailed and lengthy process, Underwood had to research, sketch, and project a drafted image of the composition onto the canvases, all for the sake of preparing the project for the story to be shown. She worked closely with the Wing historian at the time, retired Maryland Air National Guard Col. Wayde Minami, to ensure everything with her sketched-out plan was just right.

\u201cI first compiled a list of events, airframes, and jobs that would be depicted and found reference images to ensure accuracy,\u201d said Underwood.

According to the former Wing historian, remembering our military history is an essential part of honoring the sacrifices of those who served, so we can learn from the past, understand the cost of conflict, and preserve the values of freedom for future generations.

“History is more than just a collection of isolated facts or interesting stories. The ability to learn from and build upon the experiences of those who came before us is what enables human progress,” said Minami, author of the recently published book, The Maryland Air National Guard: An Operational and Organizational History, 1921-2021. “As I was researching my book on the Maryland Air Guard\u2019s history, I was struck by how many seemingly unique recent events were actually just variations on things that had happened in previous decades. Understanding the past helps us make better decisions now.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For Underwood, her time in service, traveling the world and meeting new people, as well as her full-time job as an instructor at the Defense Information School on Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, has contributed to her art style and made her the effective mass communicator and creative professional she is today. This has authentically informed her work and capability to tell the story of this important history.

\u201cBeing exposed to new cultures and perspectives has broadened the way I see things, not just as a communicator, but as a person,\u201d said Underwood. \u201cEvery place I\u2019ve visited and every story I\u2019ve encountered has added depth to how I approach my work and connect with others.\u201d

Throughout the process of creating the murals, a total of six months of active duty orders spanning three years, she and her husband welcomed their newborn son just before finishing the project.

\u201cI researched, designed, and painted the murals with care and intention, covering 100 years of history, pouring in every ounce of myself, right up until the day I gave birth,\u201d said Underwood. \u201cIt was physically and emotionally demanding, but also deeply fulfilling.\u201d

Underwood also recently completed a painted ceiling tile representing Maryland National Guard history to be placed in the National Guard Heritage Room at Fort Myer, Virginia, in another example of her artwork showcasing the rich military history of Maryland.

\u201cWe are proud to showcase our rich history, in order to give our Airmen a chance to realize the legacy of the Maryland Air National Guard and consider how they can contribute towards future missions in an impactful way,\u201d said Maryland Air National Guard Brig. Gen. Richard D. Hunt, commander of the 175th Wing. \u201cThe incredible work that Staff. Sgt. Underwood has done is a testament to the caliber of excellence our Airmen bring forward each and every day.\u201d

More than anything, through Underwood\u2019s work, she strives to connect people to the values, history and identity behind the role of servicemembers, honoring the past while sparking pride and curiosity in those who still serve today.

The completion of the mural is just in time for the 104th anniversary of the 104th Fighter Squadron, which occurred June 29, 2025. The 175th Wing held an unveiling ceremony for the mural on August 10, and Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, adjutant general of Maryland, coined Underwood to recognize her contributions to capturing and preserving the history of the Maryland Air National Guard.

Her husband, son, and other Airmen from across the Wing attended the ceremony and looked up in awe at the mural to see how the missions changed regularly through the decades seamlessly represented through the brushstrokes on the walls.

\u201cTo see how my work can resonate with others and become part of our shared space and story is an honor,\u201d Underwood emphasized. \u201cIt reminds me that creativity has a place in every mission, and that every talent, no matter how unconventional, can make an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By Airmen 1st Class Sarah Hoover MIDDLE RIVER, Md. — In a dusty warehouse, an artist, as well as a mother, educator, and veteran, painted a vibrant mural depicting the history of the Maryland Air National Guard. With each brushstroke she brought the canvases to life, which is a testament to her resilience and ability  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":161,"featured_media":10764,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10754"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10782,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10754\/revisions\/10782"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}