Help Heal Veterans has announced the winners of their Veterans Day "Craft & Salute" national online arts and crafts competition. View the original post here and check out the winners below!

First Prize Winner: Maria-Eliza Cabarrus, Army Veteran (Maywood, Illinois)

Sculpture: But On The Inside 

From the artist: Even though my injury from the military has wreaked havoc and derailed my initial plans in life, I don't regret a single thing. It was my honor to serve our country. The injury depicted in my art piece is what catapulted me to my true calling. It reminds me to savor this joy ride until the wheels fall off doing what makes me happy. All the while, making art that hopefully inspires and touches others. I strive to make something visually pleasing but even more important, I want it to mean something. Made in 2020, this piece is my first sculpture. I wanted it to embody the pain that I endure on a daily basis. Pain that isn't visible to the naked eye. Invisible pain that many of my fellow veterans struggle with.

Second Prize Winner: Sherman Watkins, United States Air Force Veteran (Hampton, Virginia)

                      Paintings: Black History V-I-P and The Quilt                                

From the artist: [The first painting] took me two years to complete, 72 portraits: oil on canvas. The painting illustrates some of the accomplishments of Black Americans. I am 79 years  old  and  while  looking  up  the  information  on  these  people,  I  learned  something  about  the achievements of Black Americans. I hope this painting brings some insight to schools and the American people on the accomplishments of Black Americans. The second piece, “The Quilt” tells what each person did, painted in acrylic.

Third Prize Winner: Ting Du, Navy Veteran (San Diego, California)

Woodwork: Sailboat of Hope and Beacon of Light

From the artist: As a retired sailor, the boat reminds me of all those days and nights that I had spent underway among the deep blue ocean. Not only does it symbolize all the tumultuous hardships that I have successfully navigated through in life, it also symbolizes the ultimate inner soul journey that I am still sailing and navigating through, within the heart, searching for the ultimate truth, freedom, and the place of peace and harmony: harmony with the self, and harmony with all nature-beings on earth. The tower symbolizes the beacon of light and beacon of hope. Even during the darkest nights with the most difficult conditions in the ocean, as long as we can see the beacon of light within our own hearts, we will be able to find our own path back home.