Someone once told me that the art of photography stirs your emotions. I have found that to be true within the documentary photography realm. That is exactly what I am doing with PTSD, The Invisible Scar. I want the viewer to look into the eyes of our Veterans and see, even possibly feel their pain as I interview them. Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) is a natural effect of a horrific event that our brave men and women have witnessed, been part of, or participated in. They need our help and when I say our I mean the country as a whole. Why, because we have just been through the longest war in US history. One full generation, there have been parents and children serving sidebar side together. I wanted to truly find out what a generation is, so I looked up the definition and that is 20-30 years.
In 2013 I was granted work space at the monOrchid, which was a collaborative work place, photo/video studio and gallery, to pursue a project “For the Good”, the project that I started and continue to work on is called PTSD, The Invisible Scar. The project consists of Veteran with diagnosed with PTS, whether they are male or female, white, black, Hispanic, regardless of their religious background.
I have heard from numerous Veterans that I have interviewed or even just talked to about the project that they would rather talk to someone that has “been there, done that”. It is hard to explain to a civilian today what Veterans have lost once they are no longer in the service, by comparing the numbers of Americans that are Veteran from WW II era 12 million, Vietnam 3.5 million and today it is (less than 1%) approximately 1.4 million (per Pew Research Center). Our Veterans have lost what most civilians cannot understand, the camaraderie, the looking out for each other, the being told they made a mistake and not getting their feelings hurt.
I do this project because my “Brothers and Sisters” need that person that understands, standing out in the pouring rain on guard duty is important, cleaning and polishing the brass means something, making your bed and putting away thing in your rack (bed/dresser) has its reasons, making sure your buddy gets home after a night on the town, even if you do not like them. It is the like mindedness and common goals that are greater than one’s self. So, with that being said, once the service member leaves the military, they have nothing, they feel alone, their anxiety rises, and they start to making poor decisions…
Why do I do this project, it is not for the fame or the money, it is for my Brothers and Sisters that want to leave those memories and triggers behind. After being awarded the grant, the owner of the monOrchid and I were having some small talk, I told him that I was a member of the VFW and VFW Rider which he suggested I photo wounded warriors. I truly don’t want to sound trite but everyone knows what they look like with the burn scars, the shrapnel scars, the missing limbs and the list can go on, but it is the invisible scar PTS that you don’t see, Veterans with PTS look like you and I for the most part. Yes, they can also look like the aforementioned but most look like us.
These are the men and women suffer in silence. They constantly sit facing an exit. They are always looking for their escape route. They feel alienated by society. They don’t feel safe once they come back, I want them to feel that safety. I want them to be able to talk in an environment that they feel comfortable and be able to talk to someone that has “been there”. No, I don’t have the degree as a therapist, psychologist or anything like that. I know one thing, I will not judge them and I will listen to them. We have a suicide rate 20+ per day and veterans are two times more likely to commit suicide.
I do this project because of people like Brad who did not have a sounding board. He had five of his friends commit suicide and if I had not sat him down and talked with him, he might have been a statistic. John who sent me a message on my birthday letting me know that I was his inspiration for seeking help. That is why I do this project.
