Veterans Plant to Paper Project Inspired by Ed Tick

Military and vets make art from plant to paper
Hi Desert Star
By Daniel Strasberger
The Desert Trail
January 30, 2016

“I read a book by Ed Tick, ‘War in the Soul,’ that said PTSD is more of a soul wound than anything else,” she said. “When you are in a situation that is beyond your wildest, sometimes your soul cannot take it all in, it’s too much and creates anxiety and all the symptoms that PTSD creates.”

Military and vets make art from plant to paper
Lt. Col. Frank Marilao and Donald Burton, from Marine Corps Community Services, join Mil-Tree founder Cheryl Montelle at informational meeting for the Plant to Paper Project Thursday at Copper Mountain College.

JOSHUA TREE — Joining Forces: Plant to Paper is a new art and writing project catering to veterans and people on active military duty.

Mil-Tree joined forces with Arts Connection from San Bernardino to create the project.

This multifaceted art project, spanning from February through May, is paid for by a Veterans in the Arts Initiative grant from the California Arts Council.

The goal is to clear invasive plants from the desert, make them into paper and pulp and create works of art and writing that will displayed in a show in May.

Cheryl Montelle, Mil-Tree founder, is excited about bringing the project to the Morongo Basin.

“Mil-Tree’s mission is to bring veterans into the community through arts and dialogue,” Montelle said. “Communication and arts is what we are about, to create bonds and connections where there haven’t been.”
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This is a great video from 2010
War and the Soul: Healing our Veterans, Families, and Communities from the Wounds of War

Dr. Edward Tick is a practicing psychotherapist who has worked with veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for more than 30 years. For Tick, the key to helping veterans heal lies in how we understand PTSD.