Carl Les Fordahl, Veteran and Combat Artist, Speaks to Students During Common Experience

December 9, 2024

Veteran and combat artist, Carl Les Fordahl, spoke with Perpich Arts High School students during Common Ex on Monday, December 9th. Common Ex is a series of presentations where students often hear about the artistic life from practicing artists, many of whom are Perpich graduates.

Veteran and combat artist, Carl Les Fordahl, spoke with students on December 9th.

Les, as he introduced himself, is a veteran of the Vietnam War. His official duties were as a draftsman and illustrator, but he also became a combat artist. It was twenty years after the war before he finished the drawings he had made during his tour of duty. While in the field, Fordahl only had time to make quick sketches or take photos. Other veterans easily recognized his sketches of locations like Firebase Bastogne. Decades later, Fordahl decided to complete the sketches that he had saved. His work is now in the collections of the National Veterans Art Museum in Chicago and the Library of Congress.

Fordahl is a self-taught artist who grew up in Minnesota, sketching the world around him in his west metro community. He started oil painting at age 10 and received his first commission at the age of 14. He was drafted in the Army after high school and eventually was assigned to Vietnam and the combat art team. He served in all types of conditions and varying levels of safety, dedicated to documenting the war effort with any materials he could find including blueprint paper and charcoal from burn pits. “Arts document the history of our world,” said Les.

Since returning from the war, Les spent his career with the United States Postal Service and continued to contribute to the community with his art skills. He served on the board of directors for the Bloomington Center for the Arts and continues to volunteer in art therapy for returning veterans at the VA Hospital. “Art has been my own therapy,” said Fordahl. He brought several pieces of his artwork to campus, of both military and civilian themes, to show the students.

“Les is an inspiring artist who, despite limited access to arts education, has become successful,” said Rebecca Bullen, Perpich Arts High School Principal. “He transformed his artistic passion into both his work in the Army, and a reflection of his compassion as a human being. I was moved by his sharing his work with veterans, using art as a tool to help them process trauma and build connections with one another. Art is a form of storytelling, bridging our diverse experiences and bringing us together. Les shared the power of art to foster understanding and connection.”

The history of combat art in the US military can be traced back to World War I, when eight artists were commissioned to document the American Expeditionary Forces. The current iteration of combat art in the US military has its roots in World War II, when all branches of the military deployed artists to document the war. Read more here.