Combat Paper turns old military uniforms into handmade paper that veterans then write and draw on. For example, a Missouri museum showed the process this year.
Every uniform is supposed to be sharp, be the same. But then it comes home with a person and ends up in a closet or a storage bin, and it becomes the heaviest thing that person owns.
The Combat Paper Project came out of Iraq Veterans Against the War, and it starts with that uniform. Veterans cut their uniforms apart, pulp the fibers, and press the pulp into sheets of paper. Those sheets become the page for poems, memoir fragments, prints, and sketches.
A museum shows how it works
The State Historical Society of Missouri in Columbia built an exhibition around the method. W[A]RN and TRANSFORMED: Uniforms as Stories of U.S. ran through August 15, 2026. Visitors saw military uniforms next to war-era posters and new paper artworks. University of Missouri students designed apparel from uniforms that had been turned into Combat Paper.
A “wishing wall” let visitors write what they hope for the country, a nod to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. At the opening reception, veterans Drew Cameron, Martin Lesinkski, and John Schnieder sat on a panel. The Historical Society put the show together with the university’s Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection.
Where the brush meets the quill
Most veteran arts programs pick one medium. Combat Paper doesn’t. The paper is the art, and it is also the page. A veteran can pulp a uniform in the morning and write on the result that afternoon.
That makes it a good fit for readers who work in both media. It also raises questions any program between art and therapy has to answer. Is the work meant to be shown, or is the making the whole point? The Missouri show framed it around veterans’ own stories, the reuse of uniforms as a record, and how people talk about war.
Try it yourself
The Missouri show is over, but Combat Paper workshops run through universities, libraries, and community partners. Start at ivaw.org/combat-paper-project, then ask your local library or college arts department if anyone plans a workshop near you.
Editor’s note: this story draws on exhibition and organization materials.
Sources: State Historical Society of Missouri; Combat Paper Project.
