Massachusetts carpenter helps veterans connect, rediscover sense of pride
TEMPLETON - When Lance Perkins built a wooden flag for his dad's barn, he assumed it was a one-off; a nice piece of art to personalize the space. A friend who saw it was so impressed that he asked Lance to make him one. Lance obliged and, after the friend showed it off, found his talents in high demand. He's made thousands of wooden flags in the past seven years.
Even more valuable than the income from the flags or the praise he's received from customers are the relationships Lance has formed with veterans who come to his Templeton workshop to build flags of their own.
After years as a builder in New Hampshire, Lance opened a woodworking studio, Old Glory Millworks, to make furniture. It was a dream come true. He had reconnected with a woman who was now his wife, moved to Central Massachusetts and was embarking on a new professional path in his own space.
A friend asked if he would mind teaching a veteran how to make a flag. At first, Lance balked. "Back then, I was like uh-uh. No. My mentality my whole life was 'time is money.' Always chasing work. Being here," he says looking around his bright, clean studio, "being in the shop after settling down and realizing this is different from the outside world...it was like, OK. We can teach vets. It was the group I wanted to work with."
Five years later, Lance has taught more than 430 veterans to make wooden flags. "It's a day for them-a day to clear their head," he said. He never tires of the joy of experiencing their pride in what they've made. "When they're done, they look at their flag and it's like, 'I can't believe I made this.' That's what I want to hear," he said.
Lance supplies the materials (he uses Batavia pine from New Zealand) and 6-7 hours of his time per workshop. Clear Path for Veterans New England has a standing date on the last Wednesday of the month. The group brings in 4-5 vets per session, many of whom have waited months for the opportunity. If Lance has an especially lucrative month selling his own pieces, he hosts additional workshops. Given his choice, he now says that he would host the workshops even more often-five days a week if he could. Lance recently posted a Facebook message asking whether area businesses would be interested in sponsoring a workshop. Three businesses signed up right away.
The day we visited, Lance suggested that, to have the full experience, I should make a flag. While the focus of my story was Lance and the vets, I recognized that a) his idea was a good one 2) it was time to overcome the negative self-talk that I am the least handy person I know. (This may, in fact, be true. But my goal was to silence that inner critic and produce something I could be proud of.) Our day began a little after 8:30 a.m.
Sharing the experience with me were four Army veterans: Shauna Watts, Mike Espinosa, and Lisa O'Sullivan. The lone Air Force veteran was 82-year-old Frank Fisher who, coincidentally, serviced the pool at the Ron Burton Training Village for years and spent time with my colleagues Steve and Paul Burton. But I digress...
Two "helpers" joined us for the day. Will Herriott and Cristen Comptois both served in the Army. They'd made flags before and knew what to expect. The other four vets didn't know one another. But Will knew that, in short order, they would settle into an easy rhythm and open up.
"Lance guides them through to build something-at the end-that they never knew they were going to be able to make," Will said. "And it's something that brings pride to them. You tend to notice the development of camaraderie, of togetherness with these four veterans who may be dealing with many struggles throughout all their lives. But they come together for this one time, build a flag, bond together and just enjoy a sense of camaraderie with each other."
Veterans receives 19 pieces of wood and choose a design. Our group was split. Some made the 50-star "traditional" flag, others created the 13-star "Betsy Ross." We sanded the wood, burned it with a torch to enhance the beauty of the grain, stained the stripes and let them dry.
Lance helps and makes suggestions. But the veterans do the work. As the pieces come together, we learn more about one another. Mike had been looking forward to the workshop to have an experience with other veterans and try something new. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan and says, when he returned, he felt the isolation that drives so many veterans to despair. His "destructive choices" cost him his marriage, his job, and visitations with his daughter. "It wasn't until I pursued help through the VA and other organizations that I really started to see the value in being part of the larger community who have similar experiences and aren't going to judge me," he said.
Joining the community-to talk, recreate, share memories and try new things-changed his life. "It took away that feeling of isolation that I was broken or that something was wrong with me when I had people to talk to," he said. Mike hopes that younger veterans will see the benefit in seeking out opportunities and resources that will enrich their lives and make them feel less alone. Six years after he lost almost everything, he is in a good place. The flag will hang proudly in his new home in Hull.
Shauna's donating her flag to her teenage daughter's U.S. History class at Franklin High School. She plans to present the very personal gift before their field trip to the Freedom Trail. When I asked her why she wanted to take part in the workshop, she answered thoughtfully. "It's about healing and getting my journey out on some kind of creative media. And today, it was through this flag," she said.
After the stain dries, Lance helps us cut the boards that will reinforce the flags from the back. This process-sawing, drilling nail holes and then drilling the nails-is particularly exciting for someone with zero woodworking experience. Seeing the flag come together in the way Lance promised is something to behold. Lisa agrees, "I don't know how I made that," she says admiring her work. Lisa served in Iraq, Kuwait and with the National Guard. She, too, appreciates the feeling of spending a day with other veterans and sharing the creativity. She remembers the shock of coming home from her service. "When you're overseas, you have battle buddies. You don't go anywhere without a battle buddy or a friend... So you go from always having somebody with you and somebody that you can rely on to-basically-when you're done, you come home and you don't have any connections."
It's hard for veterans to reach out. And a lot of people don't even understand what they went through. Making connections is huge. Lisa works with Veterans Inc's suicide prevention program and hopes to bring small groups of vets from the program to Lance's workshop.
As he moves about the tables, Lance picks up on conversations. He also notices when veterans aren't talking or engaging. Sometimes it simply means that they are focused and at peace. But sometimes, they are struggling in silence. If, in conversation, they express a need for help, he has made enough connections over the years to be able to suggest resources. "We can get people pretty good help. If they need something more and they open up about it? Whatever we can do," he said.
Once we glue the stars to the flags, it is time for the final step. A thin coat of urethane protects the work and imparts a subtle sheen. We are all a bit stunned. As promised, they look great. Frank plans to gift his flag to a friend who will hang it in his business. He smiles, "I love it. It's pretty nice."
We number our flags (mine is #1458) and pose for photos together. WBZ Photographer Terry McNamara, who captured the day on multiple cameras, shoots the final shots and congratulates the veterans. Lance is smiling from ear-to-ear. "It's something they can take pride in. That little bit of pride. That little bit of boost makes tomorrow go a little bit easier and maybe the next day. The snowball effect. And hopefully it keeps rollin' and rollin' and rollin'. "
A sincere thanks to Lance Perkins, "assistants" Will Herriott and Cristen Comptois, to the veterans with whom I had the pleasure of sharing the day and to all who serve and have served in the U.S. Military. May you feel the nation's sincere gratitude on Veterans Day and every day.