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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      The official portrait of retired Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, former chief of staff of the Air Force, is unveiled during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 14, 2017. The portrait will be on display in the Pentagon's Arnold Corridor alongside the portraits of the other former Air Force chiefs of staff. (DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley)20th CSAF portrait unveiled
                        
                        
                        The official portrait of retired Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, former chief of staff of the Air Force, is unveiled during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 14, 2017. The portrait will be on display in the Pentagon's Arnold Corridor alongside the portraits of the other former Air Force chiefs of staff. (DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley)
                
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        Retired Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, former chief of staff of the Air Force, and Betty Welsh pose with artist Michele Rushworth before the portrait unveiling ceremony in the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 14, 2017. The portrait will be on display in the Pentagon's Arnold Corridor alongside the portraits of all the other former Air Force chiefs of staff. (U.S. Air Force photo by Wayne A. Clark)Gen. Mark A. Welsh III portait unveiling
                        
                        
                        Retired Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, former chief of staff of the Air Force, and Betty Welsh pose with artist Michele Rushworth before the portrait unveiling ceremony in the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 14, 2017. The portrait will be on display in the Pentagon's Arnold Corridor alongside the portraits of all the other former Air Force chiefs of staff. (U.S. Air Force photo by Wayne A. Clark)
                
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        Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein speaks during the official portrait unveiling for retired Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, former Air Force chief of staff, in the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 14, 2017. Welsh served as the 20th chief of staff from 2012 to 2016. (DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley)20th CSAF portrait unveiled
                        
                        
                        Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein speaks during the official portrait unveiling for retired Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, former Air Force chief of staff, in the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 14, 2017. Welsh served as the 20th chief of staff from 2012 to 2016. (DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley)
                
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        Artist Michele Rushworth talks about the approach she used to paint the official portrait of retired Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, former Air Force Chief of Staff, before its unveiling in the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 14, 2017. The portrait will be on display in the Pentagon's Arnold Corridor alongside the portraits of all the other former Air Force chiefs of staff. (U.S. Air Force photo by Wayne A. Clark)Gen. Mark A. Welsh III portait unveiling
                        
                        
                        Artist Michele Rushworth talks about the approach she used to paint the official portrait of retired Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, former Air Force Chief of Staff, before its unveiling in the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 14, 2017. The portrait will be on display in the Pentagon's Arnold Corridor alongside the portraits of all the other former Air Force chiefs of staff. (U.S. Air Force photo by Wayne A. Clark)
                
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20th CSAF portrait unveiledPublished Sept. 14, 2017
                    
                    By Tech. Sgt. Natalie Stanley
                    
                    
                    Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Office
            **WASHINGTON (AFNS)  --**A painting of retired Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, the 20th Air Force chief of staff, was unveiled during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 14, 2017.
Artist Michele Rushworth was commissioned to paint the portrait and was able to capture the love and devotion of one of Welsh’s greatest accomplishments, his family.
“My entire career was spent with them, for them, because of them,” said Welsh, as he thanked Rushworth for her work. “Capturing them so I share the space with them makes me feel like things are right now.”
His portrait encapsulated his devotion to not only his family, but his Air Force family. 
“Every day I miss you,” said Welsh.  “I don’t have much to say about my time in the Air Force, except that I miss you.” 
The artist has painted portraits of everyone from governors to military leaders for 25 years.
“There is no higher art form than the difficult challenge of capturing the human spirit, of conveying something of the inner life and depth of a person’s character on canvas,” said Rushworth. “I wanted to convey the dignity, strength, warmth and honor of Mark Welsh in this portrait.”
During the unveiling Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein reflected on the contributions of Welsh.
“As a captivating public speaker, he traveled the world, engaging with hundreds of thousands of Airmen and families, listening to their stories and then retelling them across every audience imaginable,” said Goldfein. “Every Airman has a story, that was his motto and it still echoes across our Air Force today.”
Welsh served as the 20th Air Force chief of staff from 2012 until his retirement on June 24, 2016, after 40 years of service.Portrait 



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