F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Tech. Sgt. Raymond “Yamcha” Kiser wants missileers of the 320th Missile Squadron prepared for the nuclear apocalypse.
Facility manager Kiser borrowed the popular “Fallout” video game’s comical guidance for the nuclear apocalypse to create a mural stretching down a Golf Missile Alert Facility (MAF) shaft way. Kiser, an artist and online comic creator, was his squadron’s go-to choice for the mural. Each MAF selects a resident to continue the military tradition of building a sense of identity through art.
“It gives you pride and place,” said Joseph Brehm of the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. Brehm recalled how his father, a WWII pilot, valued the art displayed on his plane. “He absolutely treasured the pictures he had on the nose of the plane. It’s a continuation of that. It’s identification.”
Word around the MAF indicates Kiser’s creation has been well received.
“We are very proud of our beautiful, creative mural,” said Capt. Mary Young, 320th Missile Squadron flight commander. She says the jokey “Fallout” theme, “offers a chuckle as well as a tongue-in-cheek sense of foreboding to those familiar with the games.”
Injecting a sense of humor into a serious mission is common among military artists. One popular mural, for example, features a Domino’s pizza themed blast door that declares, “World-wide delivery in 30 minutes or less.” Another 320th Missile Squadron shaft way depicts Wiley Coyote cruising through space on a Minute Man III missile.
Kiser’s “Fallout” theme is fitting. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland ravaged by global nuclear war in the mid-22nd century. He used the game’s connection to nuclear warfare along with amusement park aesthetics to initially imagine the mural.
"I was inspired by theme park waiting lines and the way guests are immersed in the ambient mood of the ride's theme prior to the ride itself," Kiser said.
The mural is presented to elevator riders as a campy safety brochure as they descend. The first page serves as the cover and reads, “The Vault Dweller Atomic Survival For Dummies.” Kiser uses “Fallout’s” innocent cartoon mascot, Vault Boy, to illustrate a quick how-to-guide on avoiding mutated monsters and remaining alive. The mural was a rewarding project for Kiser who recently became a facility manager to allow him more time to focus on his creative aspirations.