
Aftermath: Portraits and Reflections of Veterans in Recovery
Deborah Bai-Lannon | Massachusetts, United States
Photographer: Deborah Bai-Lannon
Exhibit Title: Aftermath: Portraits and Reflections of Veterans in Recovery
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Approximately 8,000 U.S. service members died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Upon returning home, more than 30,000 have committed suicide. Clearly - on American soil - an unseen battleground still haunts many who’ve survived.
Veterans with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and other invisible war-related injuries currently seek help from the two-week long Home Base Program, a collaboration between Massachusetts General Hospital and the Red Sox.
Since 2020, I’ve been privileged to document almost 200 Home Base vets seeking reprieve from their traumas during Respite Weekend at the Harvard College Polo Farm in Hamilton, MA. This program gives participants an opportunity to relax with horses, and represents a unique collaboration among three-world class institutions to benefit those who’ve served.
Approximately fifty veterans have allowed me to take a formal portrait of them, some volunteering their thoughts on their experiences. These reflections can be found throughout the captions.
The images serve as records of pain, conflict, resilience and joy as reflected in the faces and the activities of the men and women who allow me to photograph them.
1.) Home Base Veterans and Family Care
2.) Harvard University Polo
Deborah Bai-Lannon is a Boston-area photographer concentrating on editorial/documentary, portraiture and fine-art photography. Her work has been exhibited in both the United States and in Europe. She holds a BFA in photography from Rhode Island School of Design, and a Masters in Teaching (Photography) from Rhode Island College. With both her father and her son having served in the military, she has a special love for veterans. And for horses.
dlannonf64@gmail.com
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