Camp Lejeune Marines Fighting Back With Paintbrush

‘They’re fighting back with the paintbrush now’: Therapy art made by Marines on display
News and Observer
BY SAM KILLENBERG
June 23, 2017

“It’s very therapeutic for them. They’re fighting back with the paintbrush now. They put the gun down, and they’re picking up the paintbrush.”Craig Bone

One of the paintings on display at the N.C. Museum of History exhibit featuring art made by Camp Lejeune Marines to help them recover from the physical and emotional scars of war. The exhibit, “Healing the Warrior’s Heart through Art,” is sponsored by the American Red Cross. Courtesy N.C. Museum of History

A lone Marine wades through chest-deep water, his gun held over his head. A helicopter kicks up dust as it takes off next to a burning building. Two Marines drag a bleeding companion up a sandy hill as a Medevac helicopter approaches.

Those images and others go on display at the N.C. Museum of History on Sunday as part of an exhibit of paintings and sculptures produced by Camp Lejeune Marines as a means of recovering from their physical and emotional scars.

The exhibit, “Healing the Warrior’s Heart through Art,” is sponsored by the American Red Cross, which directed the art therapy program. It features more than 20 paintings depicting military scenes, as well as written and video testimonials from the Marines who participated in an art therapy program at the Wounded Warrior Battalion-East based at Lejeune.

The program is led by Craig Bone, a noted wildlife artist who has worked with military personnel for eight years.

“This is how I thank them for their service – with a paintbrush,” Bone said.
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