We provide veterans a platform to speak their truth and guarantee that truth is heard.
We connect veterans and civilians through the power of shared stories, written words, and artistic expression.
Bullets and Bandaids bridges the gap between veterans and civilians through the power of storytelling and art. We give veterans a platform to share their personal experiences and work with artists to create powerful visual expressions of their journeys. Through this collaborative process, we foster empathy, healing, and connection, promoting understanding and appreciation for the unique challenges veterans face.
Our reach and impact is always growing:
- 300 participants and counting
- Over 60,000 visitor experiences
- Real stories from the U.S. Civil War to present day
- Ranks from Private to Two-Star General
- Participants from 15 countries on 6 continents
Why This Work Matters
War is often discussed in abstraction—through politics, statistics, or ideology. Bullets and Bandaids creates space for a different kind of engagement: one rooted in attention, witnessing, and lived experience.
The project does not promise healing or closure. Instead, it offers an opportunity to listen, reflect, and remain present with stories that are too often simplified or ignored.
Supporting this work means supporting that kind of space.
"Bullets and Bandaids is a wonderful cause and right up my alley."
-Sebastian Junger, Journalist and War Correspondent
Frequently Asked Questions
Bullets and Bandaids is a collaborative storytelling project that brings together veterans, writers, and artists to create work based on real human experiences. Each piece begins with a story, is shaped into a written narrative, and is then interpreted visually by an artist.
Our mission is to use storytelling and art to bridge the divide between veterans and civilians by focusing on the individual human experience.
The project began through a series of early exhibitions in 2012 and 2016, and was formally established as its own nonprofit organization in 2019.
Bullets and Bandaids was founded by Marine Corps veteran Robert LeHeup. The project grew out of a desire to create a space where veterans could share their experiences in a way that felt human, honest, and free from expectation or exploitation—while also allowing others to engage with those stories beyond surface-level understanding.