USO to Exhibit Wounded Warriors' Art Therapy

By Terri Moon Cronk
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2014 - The USO's new therapy program provides wounded warriors with artistic outlets to help them express their wartime experiences.

The USO's Art as Therapy Program is for those suffering from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Participants' creations will be exhibited at tomorrow's Warrior Care Month Rehabilitation Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Apex 1 and 2 of the Pentagon's second floor.

Skill-building Workshops for Wounded Warriors

Ashy Palliparambil, an art therapist in charge of the USO Art as Therapy Program, said Nov. 17 that a variety of workshops are offered at the USO Warrior and Family Care centers at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Wounded, ill and injured service members and their families can take part in what Palliparambil calls skill-building workshops at the centers, to help them build skills through painting, drawing and photography while "finding ways to communicate their experiences and stories of war."

Other workshops involve short-film creation, open-art studio sessions, combining musical scores with poetry readings, and the Combat Paper workshop.

The Combat Paper workshop, she explained, is the artistic process of deconstructing military uniforms into pulp to create paper, which service members use for design purposes.

"There's something extremely cathartic in the physical aspect of deconstructing a uniform," she said.

Service Members Write Their Stories

A writing forum is combined with uniform deconstruction, so the injured troops can write their stories, Palliparambil said. Both the Combat Paper exhibit and stories then culminate in a presentation to the public at one of two area venues, she added.

When service members read their stories and share their art with a public audience, Palliparambil said, it helps their healing process and educates the civilian sector about what troops can experience during times of war.

"To have someone be a witness to their story plays an important role in their recovery," she explained, adding that examples of the Combat Paper workshop will be on exhibit at tomorrow's expo.

As a nonprofit organization, the USO relies on other nonprofits in its art and music program, such as Combat Paper New Jersey, which provides the uniforms, Palliparambil noted.

"The USO doesn't have a lot of resources, so it partners with other organizations to offer programs like these that are powerful for the service members," she said.

Family members -- caregivers and children -- are also integral to helping service members recover from the wounds of war, Palliparambil said. For that reason, she offers children's art programs and resources for caregivers.

Those who provide care to service members can participate in their service members' projects, take Palliparambil's art classes, and meet with other caregivers to share resources through the program.

"The caregiver is important for their experiences, but also in the recovery of whole family," she said.