War & Memory Presented by The Homecoming Project

Featuring: Cynthia Bittenfield, Ashley Gilbertson, Michael Kamber, Ed Kashi, Gina LeVay, Andrew Lichtenstein, Brandon Thibodeaux, Erin Grace Trieb Peter Van Agtmael, Craig F. Walker, Damon Winter Military, Veteran and Family Member Contributors.

War & Memory is a group exhibit documenting the tremendous struggles faced by our military communities upon the return home of American military service members who have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A collective of internationally acclaimed photojournalists joined military veterans and their families to combine words and photography in a powerful exhibit.

War & Memory addresses the sometime devastating aftermath of war on American families, communities, veterans and military personnel. The exhibit focuses on issues including post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and suicide.

The US military and its Veterans returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from repercussions as devastating and traumatic as war itself. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as of March 2014, about 2.6 million U.S. service members have been deployed to war by the Department of Defense since 9/11. Among the Veterans treated at the VA, one third have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), while one quarter with Traumatic Brain Injury. Nearly 56% of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans have been diagnosed with at least one mental health condition. These counts exclude Veterans treated only by the military or by a private (non-VA) mental health professional. In 2009, the rate of suicide among US military service members surpassed the number of those killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Today, one US veteran commits suicide roughly every hour.

War & Memory aims to expand awareness of these issues and their impact on our community.

Organizations

Fovea Exhibitions

Over the past nine years, Fovea Exhibitions has produced 40 topical photography exhibits on social issues and world events with related educational programming. Fovea is a nonprofit organization, founded by photo editors and run by volunteers. Its mission is to educate through photojournalism. Follow us on Facebook at @FoveaExhibitions.
The Homecoming Project

The Homecoming Project is an Austin-based organization serving US Veterans and military communities. Founded in 2011, it is a public service campaign using visual journalism and media to raise awareness of veteran issues related to war and combat trauma. Through photography and visual storytelling, The Homecoming Project supports military communities and veterans by addressing these issues. Our exhibitions uses iconic imagery by award winning photojournalists coupled with creative works by Veterans which illustrate war’s aftermath, creating a unique, compelling, and growing body of work. From 2011 – 2014 The Homecoming Project hosted and or participated in 35 exhibitions, education platforms and awareness campaigns in the US and in Europe, bringing the current issues affecting Veterans to the attention of hundreds of thousands.