Old student folklore from West Point Military Academy states that if it rains on your R-
Day – short for Reception Day, when new cadets are welcomed to the school — then that
class will graduate into war.
Such was the case for OVS math and history teacher Brandon Titus.
Upon arriving at Westpoint as a nervous freshman, Mr. Titus watched the rain pour
down on the campus like an ominous foreshadowing of the war in Iraq in which he was
destined to fight.
However, before Mr. Titus left the United States to fight in Iraq, he discovered a hobby that would later grow into a passion and, in later years, an escape.
As a cadet, Mr. Titus started to draw as a way to express the depression he had been
feeling at West Point.
“At West Point, you can sometimes feel like you’re in a prison,” Mr. Titus said.
One day, he snuck off campus without leave and began a day that would change his life.
Mr. Titus found his way to New York City and brought two things; one was a skateboard, and the other was a stash of art supplies, including paints.
He then spent much of his free time creating art in his room.
The monochrome paintings and drawings are often portraits of soldiers with bright and vibrant blood reds splashed across the canvass. They are often scribbled with words that portray his condition – Hope, Faith, Duty and Honor.
“I’ve never taken an art class, but I’ve always wanted to,” Mr. Titus said. “It [just] felt
good to play with different mediums.”
Upon graduating from West Point in 2003, Mr. Titus was immediately deployed with the 1st Cavalry Division, 5th Brigade Combat Team as part of OIF Two.
The members of OIF Two were the first troops to arrive in Iraq after the initial invasion.
Assigned to be a Civil Affairs/Information Operations Officer, it was the job of Mr. Titus
and his fellow soldiers to promote democracy, restore central services and encourage
economic pluralism in Iraq.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Mr. Titus said about fighting in Iraq. “We were fighting
an unconventional enemy.”
Mr. Titus would frequently patrol hostile territory with little more than sandbags and
plywood to protect his unit’s Humvee.
Living in such conditions made him develop a fatalistic philosophy.
“If it was my time, it was my time,” Mr. Titus said. “I couldn’t control it.”
But now, in Iraq, Mr. Titus did not have the luxury of readily available art supplies.
However, in great need of an escape from reality, he was able to find ways around this.
By employing the help of his camp’s 11 Arabic interpreters, he smuggled paints and
brushes into his camp from the surrounding neighborhoods.
To substitute for canvas, the interpreters would bring Mr. Titus empty moneybags that
were abandoned along with countless other items in the cities when the war began.
Once he had the paints, Mr. Titus would then cut up the moneybags and nail them onto
the wooden tops of ammo boxes to create a makeshift canvas and frame.
The painting would become a flight from reality for Mr. Titus, who started to paint
anything he could find after returning from his daily patrols: nails, people, and of course, his ever-present friend -his rifle.
“Art is a great thing because it gets all the senses engaged,” Mr. Titus said. “It’s a great
escape.”
However, when Mr. Titus returned home to Ojai after his tour, he began to have intense
feelings of depression and anxiety.
“I was completely numb,” he said. “I couldn’t feel anything.”
According to a report by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the number of veteran suicides has jumped to 18-22 per day, or roughly one every 65 minutes.
Mr. Titus would often have fits of apprehension, most commonly heightened nervousness that would last until he realized he was home, and not in Iraq. He also came to realize that it was important for veterans to return home and take part in activities that
helped distract them from everyday struggles.
Once again, to get through this time of depression, Mr. Titus turned to what had helped him get through his time at West Point and Iraq — his art.
Now, Mr. Titus’ art displays a wide range of subjects — ranging from propaganda posters that display how manipulated he felt while overseas, to portraits of soldiers, as they are one of mankind’s oldest professions.
When OVS art teacher Mandy Jackson-Beverly saw Mr. Titus’ art, she was stunned by the vibrant use of colors to portray his emotions. However, she was more astonished by the way he uses art as a therapeutic retreat.
“I’m so proud of Brandon’s courage to paint these visions,” Mrs. Beverly said. “To be able to use art as an outlet for our hurt and inner demons to be released is so important.”
Despite his memorable contributions to the school, Mr. Titus will be leaving the faculty
at the end of the year to pursue other interests. But although he will be withdrawing from
OVS, one thing will remain constant – his art.
“I was very angry [upon returning],” said Mr. Titus, who is thankful to have found this therapeutic tool and hopes all people returning from hard times can do the same. “I was just getting stuff out [by painting]. To have guys come home and create things is good.”
By Jack Beverly, Class of 2013