Building a wall of hope at Ground Zero Published Sept. 29, 2006 By Tech. Sgt. Micky Cordiviola 94th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- Earlier this year, base firefighter Gerard Reheiser created a painting on a tile to commemorate 9/11. Mr. Reheiser entered the tile in a contest sponsored by Tiles for America at a store in Woodstock, Ga. The tile not only won the contest but it is now part of a permanent display at Ground Zero in New York City. "I did not have any expectations to win," said the Air Force Reserve Command employee. "I have a deep sense of remorse for the people who have died for this country, both military and civilian. I felt that creating a tile in memory of the brave firefighters and police officers who died on Sept. 11, 2001, was a way that I could contribute to their lasting memory." "At the time of Sept. 11, I was on active duty at Patrick Air Force Base (Fla.) and I remember watching on television how people did not care about anything else except helping each other," said Mr. Reheiser. The contest included entries from about 100 paint studios nationwide, and Mr. Reheiser received a $50 gift certificate for winning the contest. Three tiles per store were sent to ground zero to place on the wall surrounding the property. "We chose Gerard's tile because it was absolutely fantastic," said Lisa Delosh, store owner. "The amount of detail that went into a small six by six tile was incredible. He included so many different aspects that represented the total picture." Mr. Reheiser said the $50 gift certificate was not important to him. The fact that he put his heart into this painting and it is going to be placed at Ground Zero is an honor that he will never forget. (AFRC News Service)