Through the eyes of children, war can be the most traumatic even possibly imageable. The constant shelling of gunfire and destruction of buildings can leave severe physical and psychological scars.

Many people want to help but just don’t know how. For former Army veteran and Big Rapids area native Bruce Reges, the answer came with his firsthand experience on the battlefront.

“When I was a solider in Iraq, I brought puppets out on patrol and gave them the soldiers,” Reges said. “They would then give them to kids to help lessen the tension between us.”

This simple idea led to Reges’ venture standing to this day: Peace Through Puppets. This project has taken Reges to places all over the world; including Guatemala, Ukraine, Poland, and his most recent stop a few weeks ago in Israel.

 

*Reges sharing puppets with local children while on duty (Image provided by Bruce Reges).

 

“This year, I came here to Israel and didn't expect to have a war,” Reges said. “I came because I used to live there and wanted to see friends and the family that adopted me when I was younger. It became a beneficial trip because I could bring puppets to give out to kids who were evacuated from up north of Lebanon.”

With over 30 years of active service in the Army and time in the National Guard reserves, Reges finds joy in his work through a concept called “bidirectionality.” According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, the word can be defined as “involving, moving, or taking place in two usually opposite directions.” This is a concept that Reges wrote about for his PhD, an action that gives a positive reaction both ways.

“When I give the child a puppet, most of the time the child is happy to get it,” Reges said. “What then happens is you start to feel good about what you're doing. In other words, not only is the child getting something that they feel good about, but you're feeling good after giving it to him.”

Curious minds may be wondering, “Why a puppet?”

As a toy, they are often fluffy and soft. They can come in many shapes, sizes, and styles. Seems like simple reasoning; but according to Reges, there’s more to a puppet than any other child’s toy.

 

*A child receiving a puppet animal from Reges (Image provided by Bruce Reges).

 

“They're more than a toy, they’re a communication device. The kid may not speak your language and you may not speak the child's language, but the puppet can do it.”

While the project has been used heavily in other countries, Reges is hoping to start making connections locally to spread awareness of his project. His local ties including serving with the Big Rapids Rotary, in which he hopes for a potential way to partner with international rotaries in countries like Israel and Ukraine.

Reges has received support from his project already, including different GoFundMe fundraisers for his travels. One instance, he even received 15 large tubs of puppets that were donated by a kindergarten teacher. He even had a cousin willing to drive the shipment from Lincoln, Nebraska. Another measure of aid comes from a local source for finger puppets, which Reges said he is hoping to pass out at Big Rapids’ Saturday Veteran’s Day parade.

“One of the new phrases we have is ‘Soldier for Life,’” Reges said. “That means we try and live the values that we represent as soldiers of the United States. When I'm thinking about (Veteran’s Day), I'm seeing veterans who are just like soldiers that I was with in Iraq. If you saw how they respond to a child who will respond to them, that's where that personality comes in. It’s exciting to see how much emotion flows between the child and veterans.”

For more information of Reges’ work, visit http://peacethroughpuppets.net.