Voices of Vets draws upon work that began in a five day retreat that focused upon healing from the effects of combat and dealing with the post-traumatic stresses that follow exposure to modern warfare. The retreat was facilitated by author Michael Meade, a Vietnam era veteran, noted mythologist, author, and storyteller, along with experts in the field of trauma recovery.
Healing only happens where and when the burdens of war can be shared by the greater community. A public gathering allows citizens to become compassionate witnesses to the stories of war and the need for conscious and genuine acts of witnessing and welcoming. As one of the veterans put it in a poem: "Can we create a village as strong as a war?"
“The suffering and sacrifice of veterans must be acknowledged at a genuine human level just as quality medical treatments must reflect the nature of physical wounds. A genuine rite of return for veterans involves an open and compassionate community that fully acknowledges the courage and the wounds of those who return from battle as well as fully grieves those whose lives ended in the unforgiving fields of war.” Excerpted from Michael Meade’s introduction to Voices of Vets.
Excerpts from poems by veterans and their families:
I walked up my ramp alone – to a reception of none...
no welcome home party, because like so many others
I’m not home.
Look into their eyes If they are still there
Look into their hearts If they aren’t…
Look at their missing limbs… their burns, their scars.
Changed forever, but still the same…
… if you must use words like martyr and infidel,
or hero and enemy, then whisper them.
It is all too easy to destroy.
Did I mention the war gave me PTSD?
But that’s enough about me.
… pick the maggots off my skin
and burnish the gold that lies within.
This will renew… my sacred core.
Can we create a village as strong as a war?
Above and beyond… learn to forgive yourself.
For there will simply come a day when…
there is absolutely nothing else left to do.
… on the road to healing… the path is narrow and uphill in
all directions, but… as long as it takes, we will walk it with you.
Responses from the audience who welcomed the veterans:
“It meant so much to our family… such a privilege to be there. I have never seen or heard anything so moving.”
“From the first moment I was weeping, and didn’t stop the whole night… a healing experience for everyone there, including the audience.”
“If only every veteran could have that experience. If only every community could share it with them.”
“The vets were all so courageous to say nothing of being articulate, intelligent, open.”
“As a Vietnam vet, I was tuned to what these fine warriors had to say. It was heart rending, also poignant and healing for all.”
