Helmen Vol Verhalen

Searching Military Veterans for my project ReUniForm the foundation Helmen Vol Verhalen crossed my path. After asking the favour if they wanted to share my “Veterans-Wanted” document, in which I explained the meaning of my project, they immediately reached out. As the project is in the same build up phase like my project, the idea was that I would collaborate with them and the end result of my project would travel along with the exhibition they started up.

As Roy Grinwis reached out via another source and I was sure Helmen Vol Verhalen (HVV) would get me a second veteran I was able to confirm to Roy the project was a go. As I told him what the next step would be and that I spoke with Amy van Son of HVV, he told me he knew the project of HVV and send me a video about him and how he did a crowdfund for Ton Kelders and the money ended up Helmen vol Verhalen. As I would also needed to interview Roy about his career, he gave a link to the Kinnebak podcast he did with Kenny van Geijlswijk, which actually was already his whole story and somehow connected to HVV as well,

It somehow showed in fact how small the world of caring about veterans is. Or maybe better pronounced; how there is only a little amount of people and initiatives that are actively involved with the veteran-community to discover new collaborations. Thus it maybe also shows how little amount of civilians understand what the work of defense means to our daily civilian life. And why in fact it also needs to be subsidised as hard felt story's about life and death can be meaningful and is something you can't put a market value on. But not easy to sell doesn't mean that they won't need to be told and/or heard. In fact I always believed these are the stories that we need to subsidize as they are a balancing weight against the Ministry of Defense marketing stories.

With this mindset I started to collaborate and help Helmen Vol Verhalen as well into their journey. The inner drive to bring those story into the public was my force to go even beyond myself. Because as the story of HVV start to develop I kept working for a low paycheck after I graduated, and even after I became homeless shortly after. And to prevent it from getting ugly I needed eventually step-out with the hope the HVV-story continued.

Corporate identity-book

Helmen Vol Verhalen X

Johan Willem Friso Kazerne, Assen

The next stop for locating the exhibition would be on an active military terrain: The 'Johan Willem Friso-kazerne' in Assen. And that's where already the first hurdle started as on active military terrains civilians actually aren't welcome. As Deelen was only for a single day and Nijverdal being a civilian place we needed a work around with respect to this rule. Eventually we agreed that visitors would report themselves at the entrance and a volunteer would pick them up and guided them to the old cafeteria, as that was where now the exhibition was hosted.

So all we needed to do was a call-out for volunteers and despite we thought that we migh ended our self on the list, we had an amount of around twelve people that were enthousiastic to this veteran project. And most of them having an army background themselves as well it really showed their grattitude towards us.

Meanwhile in politics the municipality of Assen and district Drenthe were affraid that Assen maybe got shut, and there would be economically a lot on stake for this so called Garrison Town. So bringing the civilian inwards and show that the barracks are part of a bigger local economical spectrum was a smart move of Mayor Steeneker.

"Arts and Veterans, it might for some be a strange combination but it works", he would later say about why he wanted to give Helmen Vol Verhalen a chance inside. Mayor of Assen Marco Out exclaimed once more how the barracks for some might feel as coming home, after their own journey dealing with consequences their profession asked from them. Chairman of Entrepeneurs Kor Ijszenga didn't immediately want to look at the loss in economical aspect, but told that having the barracks close at home makes entrepreneurs aware that safety is a pillar on which business and economics in our society are build. And that they support telling these stories of all people wha were and are willing to give up a bit of their own freedom so we all benefit.

Concluding Assen felt for Helmen Vol Verhalen really as a first place you could call home. And as in Nijverdal the exposition was placed in museum we now actually created the museum ourselves with even our own giftshop.
To me personally it also happened to be my last trick up my sleeve for Helmen Vol Verhalen. As I became homeless and the project couldn't give me a stable income or sometimes not even an income at all I needed to suffer in silence. And decided to go to the homeless shelter on the fifth of may, when the exhibition opened in the Ministry of Defense in The Hague.