Mural honors Kokomo Engine Plant veterans
May 27—A new mural now greets employees and visitors of the Stellantis Kokomo Engine Plant.
The work of art, painted by KEP assembly line worker Michael Moore, is meant to honor local veterans employed at Stellantis. The 26 feet by 12 feet mural features mascots for the Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force, battleships, tanks, a Jeep, a poppy field, fighter jets and more.
Also, included in a display case, is an American flag that was flown at Camp Cathcart in Mazar-E-Sharif, Afghanistan, during the Operation Freedom Sentinel. It was donated by KEP employee and Navy veteran Jeff Mallaber.
For inspiration, Moore sought feedback from veterans at the plant from all branches.
That includes Mallaber, who served on the USS Forrestal. The supercarrier, with accurate deck number, is featured prominently on the lower left side of the mural.
An A10-Warthog is in the upper right hand corner of the mural, a nod to a veteran on second shift who used to work on the aircraft's engines.
A Purple Heart-honored veteran who also works at KEP rode on a 311-numbered an armored vehicle. The war machine is featured prominently in the middle of the mural.
"It all tells a story," Mallaber said of the mural.
Moore said his goal was for veterans working at KEP to see themselves in the mural.
"It really blossomed from talking to different people and finding what vehicles they were on," Moore said.
Nearly 7% of the automotive manufacturer's U.S. employees are veterans, with many of them employed at Kokomo-area plants.
Moore has loved art and creating for most of life. He spent many hours in the Peru High School art room and attended the University of St. Francis for graphic design, with a concentration in photography.
He didn't really start painting seriously until a couple of years ago on a date night with his wife.
"I couldn't paint for my life so I just hammered away at it," Moore said.
Moore's hard work paid off when Stellantis opened up an artwork contest for a separate company-themed mural. Moore's submission was selected by his peers, and he finished the mural last year.
Around this time last year, Alison Littrell, the business planner at KEP, and a group of veterans asked Mike to paint a mural in honor of the veterans who work at the plant.
The finished murals now sit right next to one another in the front lobby of the plant.
"This mural is a piece of me, but it's not," Moore said. "This isn't mine. ... This was an honor for me to be able to give them something that they deserve."
Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich.
