Before he became a prolific, decorated painter of landscapes and portraits, John Deckert was a Marine.
The Rincon Valley resident enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves less than a week after he graduated from high school in 1966. After completing boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, he spent six months training with the Marines, but was not activated.
Fifty years later, Deckert had a kind of homecoming when he was commissioned to execute paintings for the combat art program, sponsored by the National Museum of the Marine Corps, in Washington, D.C. That program showcases the work of talented active-duty Marines, reservists and civilian artists, who depict Marines in a variety of roles and missions.
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