Blue Jacket Recruit Bronze Statue Honoring Our Women Sailors

Blue Jacket Recruit Bronze Statue Honoring Our Women Sailors. Naval Training Center Orlando. , Meet Sparky , Our statue is the first of its kind. It was locally designed and fabricated, and was installed on March 21, 2018 on the 101st anniversary of the first woman to enlist in the Navy. she stands 6’7” to match the scale of The Lone Sailor and weighs 330 pounds. , , She carries a Navy cutlass sword, marking her as a leader of recruits, and has brass relics from seven famous Navy ships welded inside her. , , She is historically accurate and ready for inspection! Note details such as stitching on her boots, sewing on her rating patch, tiny anchors in anchors in her buttons, and the cutlass web belt. , , Historic Facts , . RTC Orlando led the the way to gender integrated Fleet as the Navy’s first co-ed boot camp. More than 188,000 women graduated from here until RTC Orlando closed in 1995. , , . Prior to 1974, all women were trained separately and were very restricted in jobs they could hold in the Fleet. Today every job is open to women. , , . The term “Blue Jacket” is still used today and refers to enlisted Sailors. Her nickname is “Sparky,” used in the Fleet for Sailors who work with radios and electrical gear. See if you can find where she wrote her nickname! , , [Captions:] , Follow along to see how this recruit was made: , , Early concept drawing. , , Step 1: 12” clay concept Model is created. , , Step 2: Scaled up to 6’7” in hand carved foam. , , Step 3: Clay covers foam and every detail is perfected. , , Step 4: Molds are made and bronze is cast in pieces. She includes historic Navy artifacts from seven ships. , , Step 5: Her finish is transformed to a weathered patina, and approved by Artist J. Don Reynolds.