Courageous Integrity
Welcome to “Courageous Integrity,” a place dedicated to recognizing and honoring people who have demonstrated the moral strength and bravery to do the right thing, even when it's immensely difficult. These oil paintings on paper are of people who have chosen to do the right thing even in the face of intense personal risk and substantial outside pressures.
Courageous Individuals
Admiral Alvin Holsey officially retired from the U.S. Navy in December 2025 after 37 years, stepping down as Commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) with reports linking his departure to disagreements with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over controversial strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. Holsey's sudden announcement in October 2025, a year into his SOUTHCOM role, followed months of friction, with sources suggesting Hegseth requested his resignation due to Holsey raising legal concerns about the escalating military operations.
The July 15, 2025 firing of Ms. Beckwith occurred less than six hours after she told Mr. Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol chief in charge of the Southern California raids, that a court order prevented him from arresting people without probable cause in a vast expanse that stretches from the Oregon border to Bakersfield. She was removed not only from her post as acting U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of California, but from the office altogether.
“It’s unjust,” she said of the firings across the federal government this year, in an interview. “We have to stand up and insist the laws be followed.”
Following the 2020 presidential election, Rusty Bowers, a pro-Trump Republican, resisted intense pressure from Trump and Rudy Giuliani and refused to go along with an illegal scheme to replace Arizona’s legal slate of electors with a false slate of electors who would elect Trump. “As a conservative Republican, I don’t like the results of the presidential election,” Bowers said. “I voted for President Trump and worked hard to reelect him. But I cannot and will not entertain a suggestion that we violate current law to change the outcome of a certified election.” For his decision of conscience, Bowers endured persistent harassment and intimidation tactics from Trump supporters, and later survived an attempt to recall him from the legislature. In January 2022, Bowers again acted to protect the integrity of Arizona elections by stopping a Republican-sponsored bill that would have allowed the legislature to overturn the results of an election. He remains a target for pro-Trump partisans.
About this project
These are trying and dangerous times. In spite of the risks, many people have chosen to stand up for the rule of law, honor sacred oaths and do the right thing. Doing this has caused many of them to lose their jobs, their careers, and their hard earned reputations. This project aims to honor their bravery and their integrity by memorializing them in oil paintings.