Thank you for your service! And thank you for sharing your story and the sculpture it inspired. I wish I could see it in person, but the photos convey a strong sense of the scale and contours and colors. The craftsmanship is impressive (many of the materials you used sound difficult to work with) and the way it all comes together is striking. I also enjoyed reading more about the symbollism behind the different elements.

That's crushing that it had to be left behind, but wanna say that this post is a great tribute to it. The article feels like a work of sculpture in and of itself, from the introduction where you reflect on the chaotic nature of both war and fire, to your account of the experience, to the way you bring it all full circle at the end. Your descriptions of the people there who were just trying to live their lives but getting caught up in the crossfire are sobering, and your sympathy for those people shines through.

I'm sorry for the pain you've suffered, then and now, on our behalf. Thank you for sharing this! And thank you for the work you do promoting art on Steemit! Respect.