June Voices

Welcome to another edition of The Albatross! 

June is a wonderful month for recognizing our veterans. Women’s Veterans Day was June 12, a day in which we honor the generations of women who have served our nation since June 12, 1948, when women were first granted the right to serve as permanent members of the U.S. Armed Forces. We honor all of the members of this vast community and are excited to feature several women artists this month.

This June, we continue our mission of creating space for veterans to share their stories and experiences through art and writing. This post features several powerful works that explore themes of service, memory, resilience, love, loss and healing. 

We are honored to share these voices and visions with our wonderful community.  

—

“To a Young Soilder”

By: Jimbo

It's okay that you don't like this version of

you. 

It's okay. 

We all know what it is you're going

through. 

It's okay. 

We've been there where bullets whiz and precision guided munitions 

destroy city blocks and neighborhoods and women and kids. 

It's okay that you feel stuck and isolated 

afraid of the unknown

afraid of being alone. 

It's okay that what you do today will place on you a debt you cannot pay. 

It's okay because we know too when we couldn't get away

and the thanks were worse than hollow

overcome with sorrow

and no hope to see tomorrow. 

It's okay that in time you'll learn to see

yourself with empathy 

and without amnesia

you'll reconcile your wrongs 

and open your arms 

to those young troops that will, too, be

veterans soon.

—

“Store Bought Armor”

Haiku & photo

By Jo Meaghan

Who made your Armor? 

False security

General issue

Armored up

Ready for war. 

Feel secure? 

Hell Yes! 

In spite of Kevlar

Like a vine you curled around

My heart, at first touch. 

Little did we know—

Store bought armor does nothing 

To protect 

Our soul.

“Desert Sea”

Gouache on panel

By: Chuck Kline 

“Peacock Tree”

Colored pencil & micron markers

By: Susan Kinder

“Covered by His Wing” 

Oil on panel

By: Tracey Turner 

Thank you to this month’s contributors! 

A heartfelt THANK YOU to all of this month’s artists and writers. Your willingness to share your stories helps strengthen our community and furthers our mission of providing space for veterans’ voices to be heard and expressed through art. 

We couldn’t do this work without you! 

Together, we continue to honor service, foster connection and create opportunities for healing through artistic expression. 

— 

Submit your work for our next blog post! 

We are always looking for veteran artists to feature in future posts. 

Submit your artwork, poetry, essays, photography or any other creative works to: info@djdfoundation.org

Visit the foundation online at: djdfoundation.org

We look forward to sharing your voice.