Honoring service through craftsmanship

Terre Haute, Ind. (WTHI) - For many veterans, their time in the military is something they'll never forget.
     
It's full of memories, both admirable and painful.
     
One local battle-scarred soldier is doing his best to remember his own experiences while also commemorating the battles of wars past.
     
Enter Randy English's home and you'll notice a sense of patriotism.
     
The walls are lined with memories of battles fought, and freedoms won.
     
Over 40 years ago, fresh out of high school, Randy left for the front lines of Vietnam.
     
Now he serves in a different fashion, as the commander of the VFW Post 972 in Terre Haute.
     
Each day, he relives the memories from his days in combat, but thanks to a new-found passion, he also relives moments from wars past.

"I've always been into working with small parts and pieces so I begun with model kits, putting them together, and then thinking about putting a scene around it to make a diorama," said English.
     
Almost every day, you'll find Randy at a small table in his basement, working tediously to recreate a different scene. Each has it's own story.
"This one here was one of my first," said English, "it's based on the German's retreating at the Battle of Stalingrad."
     
Every landscape has hundreds of hours invested in it, made from scratch, with parts you wouldn't even recognize. Like the trees made from medical gauze; or this medical tent made from an old t-shirt.
     
All of these parts put together to make him feel like he's there.

"The Battle of the Bulge, you can almost, to me, sense the men's cold right there in that snow," said English, "it kinda brings the scene to life."
     
Helping Randy never forget the sacrifices that were made in service to our country.

If you'd like to see Randy's Dioramas, they'll be on display at the VFW Post 972 in Terre Haute.