The Rest of the Story Canvas Print

canvas prints jon burch canvas prints mighty mo canvas prints uss missouri canvas prints pearl harbor canvas prints world war ii canvas prints american battleships canvas prints battleships canvas prints national icon canvas prints pacific fleet canvas prints arizona memorial canvas prints national parks service canvas prints bowfin canvas prints nonprofit organization canvas prints united states canvas prints ford island canvas prints

photographs jon burch photos mighty mo photos uss missouri photos pearl harbor photos world war ii photos american battleships photos battleships photos national icon photos pacific fleet photos arizona memorial photos national parks service photos bowfin photos nonprofit organization photos united states photos ford island photos

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Mighty Mo: The Rest Of The Story

The sign for the USS Missouri Memorial is striking - not in its grandeur, but in its utter simplicity.

Plastic signage drawn over a chain link fence, tied off with string like one would use to announce a high school dance or to advertise a happy hour special.

This is how, after five years and more than 2 million visitors, the ship that brought an end to World War II and is the last great American battleship, welcomes onlookers - like a county fair rather than a national treasure.
Righting this wrong and creating a proper tribute is the duty of retired Capt. Don Hess, who joined the staff of the Missouri Memorial Association in 1998 and took over as president in 2002.

"The concept was to bring the Missouri out here as a national memorial, a national icon, closing the loop that starts with USS Arizona," says Hess, who retired in 1995 from the post of executive assistant to the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The...

Photography is all about using light to capture the emotion and beauty of a fleeting moment. For me, this adventure began with a single spring image using a small Kodak film camera of a freshly watered central Kansas ditch and has come full circle using modern digital techniques. My first camera was acquired by trading an ancient Royal typewriter to a fellow college student who was desperate to finish a term paper. It was a long time ago and that camera was my passport to an art that has fascinated me ever since. I owned and operated a professional studio in central Kansas for 20 years and moved to Colorado in 1994. Part of the studio's early success came from creating outdoor portraiture using controlled lighting...