Utah veteran carves “art with an attitude” | va salt lake city health care | veterans affairs

U.S. Army Veteran Ron Clements made a name for himself as a skilled aircraft electrician while serving in Vietnam. “When no one could repair the helicopter of a three-star general; I fixed

it in five minutes,” he said. “They flew me everywhere to fix helicopters and gave me an extra rank.” HANDS OF A HERO During one mission in Vietnam, the aircraft carrying Clements and his

team was shot down. Clements took immediate action and worked to repair the damaged section of the helicopter enough to restore flight, allowing his team to escape with no injuries or

losses.  For his life-saving action, Clements earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, an honor bestowed for single acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial

flight. THE ARTIST EMERGES  Decades after his military service, he sought help for PTSD at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System. His therapist recommended he take a therapeutic class,

and Clements selected wood carving. “They handed me a piece of wood to carve a walking stick,” he said. “I made it look like leather.” He added the names of places he served in Vietnam,

carving each letter to look like a wooden board.  “Life is built one board at a time,” Clements said. “It’s called my Vietnam Story Stick.” Clements became proficient in his craft and began

teaching wood carving at a senior citizen center. His workshops emerged as the most popular class at the center, requiring relocation to larger rooms to accommodate an increasing number of

participants.  Then, COVID-19 hit. WOODWORKING TAKES A SHIFT “During the pandemic, I couldn’t go anywhere,” Clements said. “They closed the senior center. So, I went to my shop and started

carving jewelry boxes.” Clements uses fragments of different types of wood with varying colors and grain patterns, so his boxes look like camouflage. “I use pieces because I just got the

pieces of my life put back together,” he said, as if speaking to his PTSD: “Don’t mess me up again.” Each wooden jewelry box stands about 10 to 12 inches in height with four drawers, eyes on

the top drawer, buttons on subsequent drawers and two arms that fold into the side. Clements said his “jewelry box with an attitude” resembles the animated wardrobe from Beauty and the

Beast. This artist swears by creative therapy. Wood carving keeps him in the moment instead of thinking about the past or worrying about the future.  “I have very good therapists at VA that

help me out, too,” he said. CREATIVE RECOGNITION BY VA Clements’ jewelry box won Best of Show at VA Salt Lake City’s Creative Arts Festival and Competition, and it went on to take first

place in a national competition. In May, Clements will attend the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival for the first time. He plans to display one of his signature camouflage boxes and

looks forward to learning about different crafts in case a new creative passion emerges. “That’s what I’m most interested in,” he said. “What they’ve got going on.” The National Veterans

Creative Arts Festival runs May 11-18 in Denver, with free events for the public on May 16 and 17. Click to learn more about VA’s Creative Arts Therapies and NVCAF. For more information on

art therapy, contact your VA primary care provider for a referral.  - - - - - April Love is a writer-editor on the VISN 19 Creative Task Force. She began working for VA Eastern Colorado

Health Care System in 2016 and lives in Aurora, Colorado.