{Minds} At War

“‘Suck it up you wimp!’ That’s what I would have said to a guy like me.” confessed Shawn Clarke, a Canadian soldier who served in Afghanistan, in the article "Minds at War: Operational Stress Injuries" in the November-December edition of Legion Magazine. Clarke was referring to the issue of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the shame and denial attendant within a warrior culture like the Canadian Armed Forces. The article also talks about the history of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from 'shell-schocked' vets from the First World War who were shoved into an asylum through to modern wars where the phenomenon is at least acknowledged and counselling provided.
Illustration was painted in acrylic on prepared masonite and shows archetype soldiers from the various conflicts dating to the First World War.