by Kenny Carnes
Contact the Creator:
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A Message from the Founder
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After nearly ten years as a military officer and combat-trained aviator I resigned my U.S. Army commission in 2003 to pursue a professional career in the arts. As a military leader my priority was always the health and wellness of our soldiers. Though my form and forum has changed my mission remains.
Theatre is a weapon for awareness, tolerance, understanding and change. We recover best through community dialogue that employs empathetic, compassionate, active listeners. Theatre is the gateway to creating such communities.
Recently, during the post show talk after a local area performance a Vietnam Veteran told the assembly his personal story for the first time in
35 years. With his wife in tears the soldier--visibly shaken--relived his trauma before our eyes. And through his community his long awaited recovery from PTSD began. I could not help but feel both responsible and irresponsible because we could not fully attend to the man's needs. With attending staff like those at the Return to Honor Program we now can!
While audiences certainly appreciate the powerful and poetic words resonating from the stage, for me--the artist--theatre remains only the door into healing our veterans during their post-war battles. Now, thanks to our partners at the Freedom Foundation and the training program offered by its Return to Honor Program (R.T.H.P.) facilitated by their wonderfully talented staff each soldier can acquire the tools needed to advance his or her life. As the playwright of this original and imaginative theatre I realize no words--however artful--will capture the stories which inspired me to rewrite them in verse. I admire the tremendous courage exemplified by the heroes of Operation Recovery and the graduates of the R.T.H.P.
Without your courage and commitment to actively assemble to empower stories that heal then our mission for a more peaceful tomorrow becomes severely compromised. I welcome you become apart of those making a difference in your community, and invite you to take action to support those of your hometown.
Sincerely,
Kenny Carnes
(c) 2005 by Kenny & Company LLC - All Rights Reserved - photos by Berge Photography