I... 
am a Veteran

In 2015 I started an apolitical, tri-service project featuring veterans in a positive self-representation project known as I.. .am a Veteran or simply I… . The project would grow and ultimately feature one hundred and eighteen UK and NATO veterans, in what was very much a first of its kind project. The idea behind I… came from involvement in several veteran-centric projects, including Lord Ashcroft's Veterans' Transition Review, published in 2014. The theme that struck me, especially as a Wounded in Service Veteran, was the lack of positive representation of veterans. I noticed that among a great many veterans I had encountered was a desire to continue serving their communities, overcome barriers, and start a new chapter of their life, pushing on with stories of positivity that seemed lacking from popular contemporary media and charity narratives. I felt that here was an opportunity to develop a small project that would allow veterans to represent themselves candidly.

After pondering the way ahead and forming the basic idea, I approached several members of the veteran community with whom I'd worked, including Becky Taylor, Hugh Hamilton, David Butterfield and Neil Poynter. We discussed the ethics and direction of the project was appropriate and didn't detract from efforts of others. Without exception, their response was positive, and their subsequent support invaluable. My original idea was to feature a sample of twenty veterans, regular and reserve, using images they had kindly supplied against a simple frame and sharing their names and occupations. This was intentional, a move away from the often formulaic representations of veterans. I wanted to empower individuals to choose the image they felt best represented them, their character and their post-service life. The results were terrific. I cannot recall any visual veteran centric campaign before or since that was filled with such positivity; it provided a unique contemporary insight into the everyday lives of UK veterans across a spread of ages and backgrounds. The first series, featuring twenty veteran, was very much a testing of the waters, to see if the concept would work. 

After the first two series of posters veterans were asked five simple questions; 

1) What trade & branch were you please? 

2) How long did you serve? 

3) What is your current job role? 

4) What advice would you give to those about to leave? 

5) How would you describe yourself as a Veteran, starting with "I..."?

Sadly, I didn't use a participant questionnaire for this first two series, though this was rectified as best as possible and featured in the subsequent series of images as seen here, images will be updated as responses come in. 

The project continued to be kindly supported by members of the veteran community, including Jeff Jones of AJ Typsetters, who produced early merchandise, several Members of Parliament and the many veterans who were keen to help spread the word. It was their support that would be invaluable. The project launched on 1 July 2015 under my embryonic business, then known as Forester Green. My embryonic public relations, marking and social media skills were put to the test, and I'm sure I made more than a unwitting nuisance in the eyes of several agencies. Throughout all of this, I remain supported by the original group of veterans that now included Veronica Radakin, Zoe Taylor and Norman Hart, who helped monitor the project's Facebook page that remains active almost a decade later. 

As the project progressed, a pattern emerged that many early participants were keen artists. This led to an exhibition in February 2016 entitled I... Kelham Hall, Nottinghamshire, kindly hosted a celebration of Contemporary Veteran Art. The small exhibit, featuring ten veteran artists, attracted one hundred and fifty people in one week, proving veterans were much more than berets and medals. For all of us, it was a moment to be more than proud of what we were capable of and how it was possible to change the narrative.

The project continued to grow and develop, and by the time of the final series at the end of 2018, the message had changed to I… Can, a phrase that reflected the obvious;  veterans are capable of anything. At this point, I felt the project had more than achieved what it set out to do, and I planned to produce a book featuring all the posters and stories as a future project to be made after a break. This break would also allow me time to build funds to publish the book, as with all things I… related, it was to be self-funded. 

In January 2020, the world stopped, and it was my turn to support my wife as she worked alongside other key workers providing care to those affected by COVID. The onset of the COVID pandemic pushed many aspects of our lives aside, and plans for the book were shelved. In spring, amid the pandemic, I received what for me was the most remarkable and powerful photograph of the project, a picture featuring four veterans, all dressed in scrubs. 

I was bowled over by this snapshot, taken mere moments before the calamity of COVID hit us all. Four medical professionals, all veterans, all smiling, and all still serving. It remains, for me, the ideal image of what I… set out to achieve and was a more than apt end note.

I sincerely hope you enjoy and are inspired by these posters of the veterans included in this unique project, their stories and the various imagery used. 

Please take a moment to reflect on the positivity our veterans continue to bring to our communities.

Ben Skipper, Veteran.