Writing as Therapy
Why Does Veterans’ Voices Mean So Much To Me?
Rich Wangard of Neenah, Wis., writes, “I can paint pictures. Nothing on canvas but using words to paint them — words that my fellow veterans can see and understand; words that provide me with an emotional outlet that gets me by day to day. Make no mistake, I am an artist and the written word is an art! Am I any good? I don’t know! All I do know is the outlet I receive every time I use thought, experience and patience to write something that I hope relates to my brothers and sisters.
“I want to reach out and somehow make things better for my fellow veteran who may be having the same issues I do. I want to share and bring perhaps a few minutes of peace to myself and the reader. I cannot answer the question of ‘What Veterans’ Voices Means To Me,’ but I can tell you WHY. Veterans’ Voices cts as a force for good and fights against the darkness of a mind that can be in trouble. It can provide a comfort zone for a veteran to share his/her deepest thoughts with others who can relate. It acts as a communication between strangers, but those strangers are all brothers and sisters who (no matter from what era) know what is being written about. It takes a special person to take the oath and write a blank check to their country.
“I do understand how writing can act as a therapy tool and for just entertainment or fun. I laugh and I cry with each issue I read. Veterans’ Voices is powerful!”
“The pictures the authors paint leave a lasting impression and the talent is outstanding. I wonder if the issues produced save just one life. How much is that worth? Allowing a veteran to connect in the privacy of his or her own space and tell the nation what is going on in their world – the world that lives inside themselves – the world they served and the country they came from is awesome.
“Sacrifice, duty, honor and all that goes with it, that is WHY Veterans’ Voices means so much to me. It is all about my fellow veteran!”
Writing is known for being a good, safe and easily accessible way to process thoughts, feelings, ideas and trauma. Seeing your work published, can build self-esteem and heal. The continuation of VVWP through the 21st century depends on you!
It can mean so much to a veteran when a story, poem or artwork is published in Veterans’ Voices magazine, proving again that love (and writing) is still the best medicine. Veterans are looking for a helping hand like you to bolster their self-esteem and make them proud to have served our country. These veterans, whatever their disability, need to know that they are not forgotten.
VVWP has gone to great lengths to instill in the hearts of veterans a pride of accomplishment, a reward for an endeavor well done. For many veterans, seeing their poetry, prose and artwork in print is the boost that they need to help get over depression, emotional trauma or moral injury.