On this Veterans Day, there will be the expected and deserved pageantry to recognize the women and men who have served in America’s military. But after the holiday is over, many veterans will continue to battle with ongoing effects of traumatic brain injuries, battle related wounds, sexual assault and a wide range of conditions connected to their time in service or training.
To bring attention to that struggle, a unique veterans community in New Orleans is presenting what it calls the Veterans Experience Project.
From 10 am-6:30 pm on Veterans Day, Bastion Community of Resilience is inviting the public to Gallier Hall to take in visual art, performances and discussions that explore experiences of some of the region’s local veterans. For a decade, Bastion has been on a mission to provide a refuge for veterans with physical and psychological scars from deployments or their time in service. Those scars are often deep. Their origins are often dark.
Dylan Tete, a Louisiana native and Iraq War veteran, founded Bastion’s community of resilience because he understood the difficult and sometimes crippling transition from a military life to a civilian one. There was a time he contemplated taking his own life.
Ten years ago, Tete set out to create a place where similarly situated veterans could find shelter and seek the help they need. Since 2017, Bastion has provided a safe space for more than 100 families at its 5.5-acre facility in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans.
Bastion is now trying to broaden its mission to help veterans in other cities and states.
For many of the veterans who’ve found a haven at Bastion, it was a pillar of strength during some of the weakest moments of their lives.
These are some of their stories. A warning, there’s a brief instance of profanity: Listen in the player above.
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