Painting the Picture's Of War's Impact, "In Our Names"

Doctor's Exhibit Paints Picture Of War's Impact

Dr. Bill Blahd poses in front of one of his paintings: "Recurring Daymare." Blahd says he he hopes to illustrate feelings that are hard to verbalize through his paintings.

July 17, 2011 - After a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands of wounded veterans return home needing treatment and rehabilitation.

Their injuries, both physical and mental, have an emotional impact on their caregivers. And Dr. Bill Blahd, a doctor at a VA hospital in Idaho, has depicted the daily trauma he sees in a powerful art exhibit on the impact of war.

Blahd has never served in the military or lost anyone in the war, but he sees the effects of war on soldiers every time he steps into the emergency room, where he spends three days a week working 13 hours a day.

"We see all the patients with medical emergencies for the most part — chest pain, abdominal pain and neurological problems," he says.

Blahd has seen a lot in his 30 years as an ER doctor. But in his four years at Boise's VA hospital, it's the trauma facing veterans that is so striking. read more and listen to report>>>

Dr Blahd's "In Our Names" Paintings