About the artist: James A. Fairfax (MSgt, USMC) (1940 – present)
James “Jim” Fairfax enlisted in the Marine Corps on 1 October 1958, retiring in 1978. A self-taught artist, he volunteered for service in Vietnam with the Marine Corps Combat
Art Program and provided an African American artistic perspective of the war. Fairfax was later assigned to the Recruitment Advertising Section. He had a long second career at the Marine Corps History and Museums Division and retired as Chief of Exhibits from the National Museum of the Marine Corps in 2007. He currently lives in North Carolina.