The Skipper

Michael Fay is one talented USMC combat artist.

The piece, as I worked on it over the past couple weeks, became a haggard rifle company commander. Over the years I've tended to focus almost exclusively on sergeants and below, the grunts.

 
But I've also carefully observed the late twenty-something captains who carry the burden of command with weary grace.
 
The young Marines are lovingly lead and often painfully mourned by their commanding officer, the "skipper". Skipper is a term both respectful, and filled with warmth. It's the un-official moniker for a Marine captain.