“The Homecoming,” a signed print depicting the Vought F4U Corsair flown by World War II Navy aviator Robert B. “Bob” Brunson, has a permanent home at American Legion Post 119, where it will honor one of Estes Park’s most distinguished veterans.
The framed print, by John D. Shaw and donated by Milt Garrett of Fort Collins and the Estes Park Aviation Club, depicts the aircraft Brunson flew as a member of the U.S. Navy’s first carrier-based night-fighter squadron during World War II.
Brunson, an Estes Park resident who died in 2019 at age 98, was the last surviving member of a group of 14 Navy pilots selected in 1943 to pioneer one of the most dangerous assignments of the war: launching from and landing on aircraft carriers at night.
Flying radar-equipped Corsairs with Fighter Squadron Night 101, Brunson and his fellow aviators provided nighttime protection for the Pacific Fleet. The unit flew combat missions from the aircraft carriers USS Enterprise and USS Intrepid, including during Operation Hailstone, the February 1944 attack on the Japanese stronghold at Truk Lagoon.
The gift to the American Legion Post #119, the Town, and future generations
Garrett, a fellow Navy veteran who served during different eras, met Brunson through the Rotary Club of Estes Park. Over time, the two developed a friendship as Garrett visited Brunson at his home and later at Good Samaritan Village.
Garrett said he wanted to ensure Brunson’s contributions would be remembered by future generations.
The artwork was originally given to Garrett during his involvement with the Estes Park Aviation Club. Recognizing its significance and its connection to Brunson’s legacy, Garrett arranged to have it framed before donating it to the American Legion post.
According to Post Commander Dan Scace, Brunson’s service and his ties to Estes Park are an important part of the town’s history. “We’re honored to preserve his legacy in a space that welcomes veterans and community members alike,” said Scace.
Robert B. “Bob” Brunson
Born June 2, 1921, in Abilene, Kansas, Brunson grew up on a dairy farm near Leavenworth. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he joined the Navy and earned his wings as a naval aviator in 1942 at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.
Following the war, Brunson completed a mechanical engineering degree at Kansas State University. His engineering career took him around the world, including assignments in Israel and Algeria.
In retirement, Brunson became one of Estes Park’s most active volunteers. He served with the National Ski Patrol, volunteered in Rocky Mountain National Park, helped organize Honor Flights of Northern Colorado, and worked with the Duck Race, the Farmers Market, and numerous civic groups.
He was named Rotarian of the Year in 2013.
Brunson remained adventurous throughout his life. At age 82, he celebrated by making a tandem skydive, adding another chapter to a lifetime spent in the air.
Although Brunson rarely spoke at length about his wartime service, those who knew him understood they were in the presence of a man who helped shape naval aviation history.
That history will now be preserved in a place where local residents and visitors can learn about Brunson’s extraordinary service and enduring connection to the Estes Valley.
The artist and the painting
“The Homecoming” is a sweeping, emotional tribute to veterans returning from the Pacific Theater at the end of World War II.
Set in the autumn of 1945, the work, painted in 2007, captures a moment many American servicemen had long dreamed of after years of brutal combat across the Pacific. As troop ships enter San Francisco Bay beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, veterans who survived Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, island-hopping campaigns, and the final push toward Japan are finally returning home.
For many of those soldiers, sailors, and Marines, the Golden Gate Bridge had been the last glimpse of home before they sailed into war. Countless others never made the return journey.
In Shaw’s painting, jubilant escort boats welcome the arriving ships while F4U Corsair fighters roar overhead in tribute. Among them is a worn early-model “birdcage” Corsair, symbolizing the war’s earliest and bloodiest battles in the Pacific. Like the exhausted servicemen below, the aging aircraft has completed its mission.
The painting also commemorates Operation Magic Carpet, the massive military effort launched after Japan’s surrender on Sept. 2, 1945, to bring millions of American troops home from overseas. From September 1945 into early 1946, troop transports, Liberty ships, and vessels of nearly every description ferried veterans back across the Pacific.
What makes Shaw’s artwork especially significant among military art collectors is the extraordinary roster of veterans whose signatures appeared on limited-edition lithographs of the work.
The various editions included signatures from Marines, pilots, and sailors who served throughout the Pacific campaign. Some veterans later became widely known through HBO’s 2010 miniseries “The Pacific,” produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
The rare artist proof edition, limited to just 290 prints, was signed by Shaw and 14 Pacific War veterans, including Marine veterans Sid Phillips, R.V. Burgin, Jim Burke, and T.I. Miller, all associated with “The Pacific.”
Also signing the lithographs were decorated aviators and combat veterans such as Corsair pilots Jim Hill, Lyle Bradley, and Estes Park’s Bob Brunson; Wildcat pilot Sam Folsom; Army Air Forces P-51 pilot J.J. Inman; Marine Raider Marlin Groft; and sailor Jim Churchill.
Each print included a certificate of authenticity, Pacific War campaign ribbon, and historical materials tied to the beginning and end of the war.
For Shaw, collaborating directly with veterans became one of the defining experiences of his artistic career.
Born in Carson City, Nevada, in 1961, Shaw began as a commercial illustrator and graphic designer, producing work for companies including Lucasfilm, Major League Baseball, and Kellogg’s.
By the early 1990s, however, his growing fascination with World War II aviation led him in a different direction. Inspired by noted aviation artists Robert Taylor and William S. Phillips, Shaw volunteered to create artwork for WWII aviation events in California.
His first major military aviation painting, “The Hornet’s Nest,” honored the famed Doolittle Raiders and helped raise funds for a military museum near Fresno, California. The success of that painting led Shaw and his wife, Keli, to establish Liberty Studios in 1994.
Originally founded in Clovis, California, and later relocated to central Florida, Liberty Studios became known for highly detailed aviation and military artwork, particularly limited-edition lithographs signed by veterans connected to the scenes Shaw depicted.
Over the years, Shaw developed relationships with legendary veterans from units such as the Flying Tigers, the Tuskegee Airmen, the Black Sheep Squadron, and the 101st Airborne Division. Their firsthand recollections helped ensure historical accuracy in his paintings.
Estes Park Aviation Club
The Estes Park Aviation Club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at the American Legion Post #119.