No longer homeless veteran painted powerful mural

Former homeless veteran's mural highlights the journey of a soldier

WEAU 13 News

By Jessica Bringe
Oct 18, 2018

Zimmerman explained, “Here what we see is really celebrating the individual, the uniqueness of the individual, and then helping that individual overcome whatever challenges they may have faced in life.

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (WEAU) -- A once homeless veteran is revealing some of the struggles faced by soldiers returning to civilian life through his work as an artist.

A mural unveiling was held Thursday at Klein Hall in Chippewa Falls.

Klein hall provides housing and programming for homeless veterans and Veterans and Housing Recovery Program member James Heber said he wanted to give back to the facility by using talents he's been perfecting since he was 8-years-old.

“This to me is something to give back to help people understand that there's more than one type of person who is a veteran,” said Heber.

Heber said painting the 36-foot long and 6-foot high work of art took more than 800-hours but said each brush stoke was therapeutic.

“Spending time at night just peacefulness of painting it to help me understand where I've been and where others have been,” said Heber. “I've heard stories of people who have been here of what they've went through so it's just been an very amazing journey.”

The mural aims to really paint a story from a soldier’s enlistment to basic training to battles with homelessness and addiction to finally recovery and even home ownership.
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Vietnam Veterans refuse to stop giving back

Charles Payne, Vietnam veteran

“A Vietnam veteran straightened me out. Survival guilt: If my buddies could come out of the grave, they’d kick my butt up between my shoulder blades for letting their deaths screw my head up. They didn’t die for that.”

Bud Huffman and Jim Muhr left the service decades ago, but have had to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder ever since. Now they hope to reach out to other local veterans struggling to avoid another such tragedy. 

Artist Roberto Gutierrez says color is in his DNA.

"I continue to seek help. I've tried the kitchen sink. I've tried hypnosis. I've tried traditional therapy. I've tried Qigong. I've tried Tai Chi. Whatever works!" 
Roberto Gutierrez

“I can tell you with certainty that I thought about killing myself more than once. And so did one of my best friends and former unit companion, Caleb Patton. It was the guys around us, who are now part of IPG, that saved us.” Hunter Garth

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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Florida Lawmakers Push Alternative PTSD Treatment for Veterans

Florida lawmakers working to get veterans access to alternative treatments such as acupuncture
Action News Jax
by: Michael Yoshida
Jan 17, 2017

There’s a push to make it easier for Florida veterans to get access to “alternative treatments” for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and other injuries.

The treatments include things like acupuncture, equine therapy, music therapy and meditation.

They're included in two bills introduced by Florida lawmakers.There’s a push to make it easier for Florida veterans to get access to “alternative treatments” for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and other injuries.

The treatments include things like acupuncture, equine therapy, music therapy and meditation.

Action News Jax spoke with veterans who are already benefiting from this form of treatment.

“You know it took me years to even talk about my problems,” said Army veteran Chad Childers.

Childers, an Army Ranger, was medically discharged after deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“I tried to cope with my issues by drinking and ended up out on the streets,” Childers said.

Childers eventually found his way to the Five Star Veterans Center.

“When they first brought up doing art therapy, I’m like 'uh, what’s this cheeseball stuff? I’m not, you know, in elementary school anymore,' but I went to it and I actually had a great time,” Childers said.
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