Vietnam Veteran headed to creative arts competition

Trauma is a state that many Veterans are familiar with. Like wounds of the body, wounds of the mind are not something that typically dissipate on their own. They often require careful attention and time to heal.

Bay Pines VA offers Veterans a multitude of resources to aid them on their journey toward leading healthier, happier lives. One of these resources is the Veterans Creative Arts Competition.

“The creative arts competition is held annually and nation-wide at different VA facilities, and it’s open to all Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care,” said Erin Todd, music therapist and coordinator of the competition at Bay Pines VA. “We offer a variety of categories for Veterans to submit their art, to include photography, musical compositions, written pieces and much more. This really empowers our Veterans to discover a creative outlet that is best suited for them.”

Army Veteran Kenneth Shemenski’s musical performance was among the 110 pieces entered into Bay Pines VA’s local competition last fall. This April, the Vietnam Veteran travels to the National Veterans Creative Arts Competition in St. Louis, Mo.

“I can now accept the memories.”

“I am beyond humbled to be able to participate in the national festival. The program has meant a lot to me,” Shemenski said. “Before I started singing, I would have flashbacks nearly every month. I used to cry my eyes out but because of this music therapy, I can now accept the intrusive memories.”

With his silver, shaggy hair and ready smile, Shemenski is a husband, proud father of two, and an entrepreneur who led his own manufacturing business. He’s experienced many joys since his time in Vietnam, but even now, decades later, he recalls with great clarity his year-long deployment.

“I left for Vietnam right before Christmas. I remember handing my two-month-old baby girl to my wife, giving her a kiss and going to the airport. I was in Vietnam all through 1970, 12 months in the bush,” he said.

At 25, the Purple Heart recipient says he was considered the ‘old man’ of his platoon. Then a junior officer, Shemenski took the expectations of that title to heart. “I became passionate about being a second lieutenant. I landed in Cam Ranh Bay and I got off the plane and it just overwhelmed me,” he added.

“I was not there to get a bunch of ribbons.”

As he remembered it, Shemenski maintained a clear picture of what he needed to do. “It quickly dawned on me that I was not there to win the war, get a bunch of ribbons, or promote my career. My priority was making sure my men went home to their mamas, not in a body bag,” he said.

Like many Veterans of the time, when he returned from Vietnam his homecoming was less than welcoming. “At that time, if you wore the uniform, you were a pariah. People did not want to be associated with you. I remember coming home to name calling and having things thrown at me, all for my participation in a war that I had no choice but to fight in,” he said.

Even though it had been years since the retired captain left the service, the disdain he encountered from his fellow Americans, coupled with all he endured during his first deployment, shrouded Shemenski in a heaviness that he just couldn’t seem to shake.

When he found his way to Bay Pines VA’s therapeutic arts program about five years ago, the fog that surrounded him began to dematerialize. “Working with Erin Todd and the mental health folks at the VA is the reason I’m still here,” he said.

“I’m finally at peace.”

“Mr. Shemenski’s story is so key—not only to VA’s purpose, but the drive I feel for working at VA with the Veterans,” Todd said. “We don’t always get to hear about this kind of impact, so to see his growth has been so inspiring. Working with him has been a beautiful reminder about just how healing music can be.”

For Shemenski, it’s only right that he pays forward the good he’s received from VA to his fellow Veterans.

“I have a recording studio, and I’d really like to host Veterans here. I want my brothers and sisters to come here, relax and just have a good time. I’m passionate about the program because singing has been huge to me. I’m finally at peace,” he said.

To learn more, about the Creative Arts Festival, visit National Veterans Creative Arts Festival – National Veterans Sports Programs.