Joe Bonham is the central character in Dalton Trumbo's 1938 novel, "Johnny Got His Gun." Horribly wounded in combat, he wants to tour the country in a glass box as a living example of the realities of war; however, that hope is never realized, and Joe lives out his days, alone and forgotten.

In February 2011, a group of war artists began documenting the experience of service members and their families going through medical treatment in trauma wards and rehabilitation centers for devastating injuries so that a new generation of "Joe Bonhams" would not be forgotten. The exhibit not only includes artworks selected from a body of 120 pieces but also the stories of these wounded warriors.

One of the notable subjects is Marine Lance Corporal William Kyle Carpenter who was 21 when he lost an eye, most of his teeth and the use of his right arm from a grenade blast in Afghanistan. He threw himself in front of that grenade to save his best friend, and it has taken about 25 surgeries and 100 hours of physical therapy at Bethesda Naval Hospital for Carpenter to recover. His family calls him their miracle. Corporal Carpenter was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama​​ in June 2014. 

Major support for this exhibition is provided by Wayne F. Yakes, MD, FSIR, FCIRSE (retired US Army Major, Medical Corps)

Image, right: Kyle Carpenter, ink drawing, by Michael D. Fay

Image, left: Artist Steve Mumford (left) with Director of The Joe Bonham Project Michael D. Fay

• Michael D. Fay and Simon Zalkind on Colorado Public Radio  
• Channel 8 News story about the exhibit
• Tyler Smith's article in the UCH Insider