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Vets healing vets: 'Combat Paper' program

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  • Description

    Turning old Army uniforms into parchment

  • Duration 2:27
  • Date

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This transcript is automatically generated

Well perhaps the most patriotic recycling program around here it is a nonprofit group art center.

Is helping veterans turn their old uniforms into something useful.

A company in New Jersey shreds donated combat fatigues to make homemade paper and one step further.

That paper then gets used by veterans to write their personal stories and because of that they are called combat paper.

And -- claim -- live in our New York City newsroom with more and a.

Hair hair at the -- paper program has reached hundreds of veterans across the country through a traveling program and about forty at the print making center of New Jersey.

The program started in 2007.

That's come together every Sunday to -- coffee and share war stories says that make the combat paper.

It's a three step process first is deconstruction that's rip up the pieces symbolically deconstruct their past next.

Reclamation.

That's -- the fabric into a pulp and make the fatigues in the paper in the process they are re claiming their experiences they don't forget or suppress that.

Finally communication.

The paper becomes a platform for vets to talk about their experiences through painting images and writing poetry.

-- each veteran has their own experience they have their own.

Unique past and however they approached the -- some approached -- -- -- some approach -- with them.

You know deep respect deep reverence for the uniform.

Some approach -- with the love you know they love their time in the military and they want to be able to use the uniform is an expression of that.

Combat paper has served vets from every war since World War II.

One retired soldier and surgical tech who served in Somalia in the ninety's says this group is the best therapy she's ever had.

However with a group of our peers so.

It's like better and -- veterans.

And a lot of times I feel -- as veterans were more or.

Willing.

To open up and share experiences with other veterans.

-- there actually shared quote with me that they say around there at the combat paper program saying that.

Date very often say no soldiers come back for more on injured that program did receive a positive response after making combat paper.

At Walter reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC they are now efforts in place.

To make it a recurring program there can't sexy up the learning about stories like this in a climate always good see things you.

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