PECOS, Texas — A local Pecos veteran and artist was selected by the City to paint a mural downtown, representing the U.S. military.
Joseph Ortiz submitted samples of his artwork, which were approved by the City and Veterans Association.
Ortiz told NewsWest 9 that he is honored to had been asked for this project.
"I believe all these symbols, especially [because] I had a son that served in the Marine Corps, and the flag raising on Iowojima means a lot to all the marines," Ortiz said. "I've had a lot of encouragement from people passing by here, honking at me giving me thumbs and I said 'I know I'm doing the right thing'. So, I'm very satisfied with what I'm doing right now."
Ortiz hopes that the mural going up is one of many more murals that he gets to paint.