National 9/11 Veterans Art Competition - Overall Winner and Finalists in Visual Arts!

Overall Winner: US Army Veteran, Douglas W. Johnson

Title of Artwork: 9/11/2021 Sonnet

Artist Biography: MSG (retired) Johnson is a 61 year old, 100% disabled veteran of OIF, who left his soul back on the sands of Iraq.

Meaning: We disagreed, and still disagree, whether being overseas had any point.   We never disagreed on whether our sacrifices, and those who went before us, had meaning. The words we use sound so cliche, so trite, but the deeds that we try to describe are so poignant and fraught with emotion that we keep seeking ways to make the words evoke the memory of the day we beheld the heroic humans. We are not all called to greatness, but we can all live so that one day it may be said of us, "This, too, was humanity." The heroes of 9/11 led the way for the heroes of OIF and OEF who followed.

Finalist: US Army Veteran, Margaret Viboolsittiseri

Title of Artwork: The Artifact

Artist Biography: Margaret Viboolsittiseri is a war veteran and military spouse, She works in print, broadcast, special events, glitch media, and online. She is a contributor for Poem Atlas and has experimental art forthcoming or in Berfrois, Paris Lit Up Magazine, and Experiment-O. She has published works in the winnow magazine, Coven Poetry, Ice Floe Press, The Babel Tower Notice Board, ang(st): the feminist body zine, and The Wombwell Rainbow. Her most recent  contributions are in the anthologies Afterwords (Veterans Writing Workshops, August, 2021), Aww-Struck (May 2021), The Mouth of a Lion (May, 2021), Fevers of the Mind Press Presents the Poets of 2020 (January, 2021) and  ‘My teeth don’t chew on shrapnel’: an anthology of poetry by military veterans (Oxford Brookes, 2020). 

Meaning: The inspiration for my poem was provided by the theme "Standing United" which made me think of ableism and mental health matters. As we consider the veteran community and service responders impacted by the events of 9/11, it brings up 20 years of changes, multiple deployments, and family separations. I wanted to show that no matter where people are in their healing journey...we are a community of brothers and sisters.  Kintsugi: the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.

Finalist: US Army Veteran, Wayne Michael DeHart

Title of Artwork: Safe In Our Homes...

Artist Biography: Born Laconia, NH, November 12, 1948. Graduated Laconia H.S. 1966, Plymouth State University, Plymouth NH, with a BS in 1976, and graduated Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, with an MBA in 1981. Served one 365-day tour in The U.S. Army  in Vietnam, mostly as a medical classified courier and medic, based out of Camp Baxter, just south of DaNang. Was awarded an Army Commendation Medal for my service there, along with a lifelong battle with PTSD. Upon my return to civilian life, worked for three different Federal agencies (Dept. of Agriculture (supply), the FDIC  (Bank Examiner) and the RTC (Senior Financial Fraud Investigator). Worked 15 years as a bank officer (audit, compliance, loan administration) with commercial banks in Florida, reaching the title of Executive Vice President, before my career was derailed bu PTSD-related severe panic attacks almost daily. Thereafter worked independently as a licensed private investigator and for various security firms. I have been writing poetry and fiction since my early teens and did a lot of it in the 80's and into the year 1997. Lost ability to focus and did not write anything for 20 years - in 2017 a VA therapist in Tilton, NH, CBOC , read some of my old work and encouraged me to resume writing as part of my therapy and consider starting my own writing website, which I did in April, 2017, with little knowledge how to go about it. I am still actively posting to it and plan to continue doing so - wordsyoucantouch.com. I am 72, am a 30-year member of Mensa, live alone, and work with the VA extensively on my "issues", for which I am most grateful to them.

Meaning: I was home the morning of 9/11 and the television was on when the first reports came in. I was thus among the many Americans who during that day were "Safe in Our Homes ..." while the tragedy played out on our screens.  I followed the events as closely as possible, like most, and was struck by the efforts and the sacrifices of the first responders who gutted it out and did what they had to do, despite losing 412 of their brothers and  sisters  from the ranks of fire personnel, police personnel, and EMT's. So the events of that day and those that followed immediately thereafter, and the stunning, heart-hurting images of those who dug through the rubble with selfless resolve, are the primary inspiration and focus of my poem. I also make several references to those who joined the military soon thereafter as a result of 9/11 and those who served before, during and after 9/11, at home and abroad. There are also references to the peoples of the world who became ONE with us that day, as well as to the forces of our allies who served side-by-side with our own troops during that time and through years after. I have attempted to create, with words, images of the dedication and unity of purpose that took place, and still is in so many ways. I purposely omitted words like "heroes", "brave" and "strong", because they are used so often that they almost sound trite and uninspired. Those words DO describe the men and women who gave so much, to be sure; I simply chose different, but equally fitting, words to describe the people and events - because I believe that sometimes overly-used terms, no matter how true or accurate, tend to not be thought-provoking, and the purpose of this task is to make the reader really think about 9/11 in more than cliches. Deployed soldiers and first responders alike can read this poem and feel pride in knowing their efforts and call to duty are recognized by the many in our society, despite lingering differences. And in closing, please take note that the very first word of the poem is ONE - and the very last word of the poem is ONE. And no word describes "Standing United" better than those three simple letters professing brotherhood, sisterhood, and unity.

Finalist: US Army Veteran, Water J. Lamberg

Title of Artwork: September is the Cruelest Month

Artist Biography: Walt Lamberg is a writer, editor, songwriter, and veteran living in Pueblo, Colorado. He served a 13-month tour of duty with the 2nd Infantry Division, in South Korea in 1968-1969.

He has published a murder mystery novel set in Baltimore in the 1990s, a novel series about family, a contemporary fiction short story collection with nine stories, a short story set in Vietnam, two short stories about musicians, and a work of literary analysis. He has also published a collection of 13 short stories about life in the Army from 1967 to 1973: ""A Real Piece of Work: Short Stories for the Good Guys in the Army."" The stories take place in South Korea; Fort Holabird, Maryland; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Fort Dix, New Jersey; and Ypsilanti, Michigan.

He was an editor of the screenplay for the film ""Casualties of the State,"" produced by Corner Film Productions and available on Amazon Video. He also was the editor of the book ""Casualties of the State: The Shooting Script: Featuring Behind the Scenes with the Filmmakers,"" co-authored by Alan Lamberg and Jeremy Cropf. He and Alan published a novel ""Casualties of the State"" based on the film.

Meaning: I attempted to describe the sheer horror and destruction of the terrorist attacks, but also suggest that as Americans we can look to the future with hope and determination to right wrongs and continue to have a country where we Americans are blessed.

Finalist: US Coast Guard Veteran, Kelly Taylor

Title of Artwork: We Stand

Artist Biography: Coast Guard Veteran, 12/10/1996-09/08/2006, Semper Paratus. (Army Veteran, 92Y, 01/05/1995-12/10/1996)

 I have dedicated the last three years to trying something new...chasing an education. Art is therapy. I love art and science. Excelsior College Graduate, 5/15/2020, Associates in Science Liberal Arts. Currently an Edith Nourse Rogers Stem Scholarship Recipient in an immersive accelerated program towards a Bachelors in Psychology at Keiser University. 

Meaning:  The meaning of Standing United in my poem was by intertwining resiliency, acts of kindness, a sense of community, survival and connection, and bringing a smile to someone’s face.

On the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, national Veteran nonprofits Operation Gratitude, Challenge America, and the National Veterans Art Museum, invited Veteran artists to recognize the service and sacrifice of first responders, active-duty service members and Veterans by participating in the National 9/11 Veterans Art Competition. 

The art competition honored the memory of all those who gave their lives on 9/11 and after. By sharing your time and talent with these brave men and women in uniform, we revealed the selfless courage, generosity and mutual respect that bound us together as Americans at this historic moment in our nation’s history.  

It is out of a spirit of service and gratitude, we called on Veteran artists to celebrate our nation’s military and first responder heroes with an invitation to join us by submitting 2D art and/or poetry reflecting the theme “Standing United.”

On September 11, we will offer millions of grateful Americans the opportunity to write personal messages of thanks on postcards featuring the winning Veteran artworks. In addition, selected artists will receive the opportunity to display their artwork in the National Veterans Art Museum.

Are you a Veteran interested in the creative arts? CLICK HERE Join our amazing and vibrant community today!