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HIS IMAGES OF WAR HELP VETERAN HEAL -- The
National
Vietnam Veterans Art Museum showcases photos
taken
in Iraq by a severely injured Army sergeant.
U.S. Army Sgt. Eric Edmundson, an
injured Iraq war veteran, and his wife, Stephanie, visit the
National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago to see a display
of photos that he took while serving in Iraq. The 27-year-old
father from North Carolina suffered a traumatic brain injury after
his vehicle was torn apart by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2005. He
has spent the last six months at the Rehabilitation Institute of
Chicago to regain some of his most basic skills. (Tribune photo by
Milbert O. Brown) |
And, be sure to view the video about Eric
Edmundson and his father here...
http://vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/
nfJUN07/nf063007-11.htm
Story here...
http://www.chicagotribune.
com/news/local/nearwest/chi-vetwal
ksjun30,1,7741723.story?coll=chi-n
ewslocalnearwest-hed&
ctrack=1&cset=true
Story below:
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His images of war help vet heal
The National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum
showcases photos taken in Iraq by a severely injured Army sergeant
By Emma Graves Fitzsimmons
Tribune staff reporter
When hundreds of war photographs from a wounded soldier arrived at
Chicago's veterans art museum, the general manager felt the compelling
images demanded to be included in the museum's first exhibit of artwork
from the Iraq war.
"He captures moments that go a little bit beyond the typical snapshot,"
said Jerry Kykisz of the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, at 1801
S. Indiana Ave. "It's almost like a picture diary. There is nothing
heroically poised about them. They are just regular things an
infantryman would see."
What Kykisz didn't realize then was that the display, which opened May
19, would become an essential part of the road to recovery for U.S. Army
Sgt. Eric Edmundson.
The 27-year-old father from North Carolina suffered a traumatic brain
injury after his vehicle was torn apart by a roadside bomb in 2005. He
has spent the last six months at the Rehabilitation Institute of
Chicago, struggling in almost daily physical therapy sessions to regain
some of his most basic skills.
Having his photos exhibited connected Edmundson to other veterans and
reminded him of his life before he needed to use a wheelchair and was
unable to talk, eat or sit up on his own, his father, Ed Edmundson,
said.
"It brought back the memories of his career in the military and of his
favorite hobby, photography," he said. "It gave him hope for the future
that he might be able to get some of that back."
His son has improved by leaps and bounds since coming to Chicago, his
father said, noting he can now communicate through an electronic device
and can even reel his old fishing rod.
Eric Edmundson left the hospital Friday, walking for the first time --
with the assistance of his therapists -- into the arms of his wife,
Stephanie, and their 2-year-old daughter, Gracie.
"I'm very excited for Eric," his father said after his son walked out.
"He's come a long way."
Edmundson's sister, Anna, had found more than 350 photographs on his
laptop after he was injured, and she sent the museum a disc just as its
board members were deciding whether to expand its mission by featuring
Iraq veterans.
The museum organized a benefit Friday to help raise funds for a
wheelchair-accessible home for Eric and his family to return to in New
Bern, N.C. His father said he and his son still plan to open a bait and
tackle shop together.
Mayor Richard Daley and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) joined the Edmundson
family outside the rehabilitation institute Friday to watch Eric
Edmundson walk out the hospital's doors and to press for better services
for wounded veterans. A measure should come before Congress in the next
two weeks.
"We should give the best medical treatment for all the men and women of
the military," Daley said. "Eric is an inspiration. You can see it in
his face when he smiles."
efitzsimmons@tribune.com
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Larry Scott --
