What is the relationship of the Boot to the Flowers?

The Boot is used and has been through combat.

The Flower represents the healing from the experience of war.

The Flowers are symbolic of that healing by infusing the two images into a cohesive statement through art.

The Boot is not a vase filled with pretty flowers, but is the soil the flowers grew out of.

The Boot and Flowers are generic. From the turmoil of war, a flower grows, symbolic of, art heals wounds of war, i.e. beauty soothes wounds of war.

Why the broken flower?

There was a moment in time when our unit was ascending a jungle-covered peak. Until that moment, I had not let my guard down to really see the natural beauty surrounding us. Lush greenery and a small waterfall, a tranquil vision of the Vietnam that we had turned into a battlefield. I ignored the sharp thorn of “wait-a minute” to hold the war at bay.

The thorn, a waterfall, the moment in time - I still hold in my mind: beauty and nature prevailed, over the turmoil of war.

Thus, it is only fitting that our logo has a broken flower to remind us that war has no compassion for man, woman or nature, and that peace is the water that plants need most.

What does the Veterans Art Garden mean to NNSVH Residents?

Residents will have a designated place to retreat from the ills of the world. The Veterans Art Garden promises to showcase nature’s colors and to serve as a place where vets can connect with nature and each other in a natural setting to enjoy, reflect, and celebrate music, art, sculptural features, theatre and whatever whimsy comes to mind.