okay. i just go back to everything i suffered from, and i really go back to luke. it was his death that brought this for me to create. and so every time a veteran gets saved i m like luke just saved someone else. i know he d be looking down like you re doing what you re meant to do, you re truly living for both of us now. it s my honor to present cnn hero richard casper. [ applause ] it kills me. and luke s brother is here with me tonight. thank you for helping me carry on this legacy. i m a marine, i m not supposed to be the first one crying up here. every day 20 veterans and
richard struggled with his reentry until this 6 5 tower picked up a paint brush and stroke by stroke shared his pain. he created a picture of luke s grave site with his arm reaching out to touch the headstone and a background awash in blood red. when his classmates critiqued him, this purple heart marine felt seen for the first time since coming home. he went onto graduate from art school, and in 2013 launched creativets to help others like him find peace through song writing and visual art. so far more than 1,600 veterans have signed up, each one just like richard sharing their pain, letting the art and the music do what they do best, bind them together in the truth of their stories from the battlefield so they can find their way through and heal. hey! what s up?
it s what allows you to understand it s okay to not be okay. i just go back to everything i suffered from, and i really go back to luke. it was his death that brought this for me to create. and so every time a veteran gets saved i m like luke just saved someone else. i know he d be looking down like you re doing what you re meant to do, you re truly living for both of us now. it s my honor to present cnn hero richard casper. [ applause ] it kills me. and luke s brother is here with me tonight. thank you for helping me carry on this legacy.
[ cheers and applause ] welcome back to cnn heroes. in the united states we have more than 18 million veterans. they are leaders, entrepreneurs, teachers, and bring so much to our country. however, many still struggle with the unseen wounds of war. to tell us how our next hero is empowering these great americans through art is the founder of six degrees.org, kevin bacon. [ cheers and applause ] thank you. sometimes the only way to get through unimaginable pain is to find a way to share it. the way richard casper shared his happened in an art class. he returned from iraq riddled with post traumatic stress, a disc problem, and a brain injury. his humvee had been blown up four times and he watched his best friend die.
heroes. in the united states we have more than 18 million veterans. they are leaders, entrepreneurs, teachers, and bring so much to our country. however, many still struggle with the unseen wounds of war. to tell us how our next hero is empowering these great americans through art is the founder of six degrees.org, kevin bacon. thank you. thank you. sometimes the only way to get through unimaginable pain is to find a way to share it. the way richard casper shared his happened in an art class. he returned from iraq riddled with post traumatic stress, a disc problem, and a brain injury. his humvee had been blown up four times and he watched his best friend die. richard struggled with his reentry and picked up a brush and stroke by stroke shared his