Erick Maganda
Valley News Intern
Transitioning from military to civilian life can be a difficult process for many veterans. According to PEW Research Center, those who have suffered serious injuries have a 58 percent chance of experiencing an easy re-entry, down from 77 percent. To address this issue, Turn Around for Veterans (TAV) aims to provide support in its own unique way.
TAV, a program created by members of the San Diego Woodturners (SDW), believe that woodturning can serve as a form of therapy for injured servicemembers and veterans. Their website notes, “they saw the potential for not just crafting wood but also crafting a renewed sense of purpose and resilience.”
The program operates with the help of volunteers, mostly veterans and their families, and donations. Among other methods, TAV receives donations by selling items made by participants to support scholarships, memberships and woodturning items. Through this, they are able to offer free classes to their participants. Pedro Ernesto Aquino, the current chairman, oversees the program.
Aquino, a Marine Corps veteran who served from 1995 to 2015, suffered grave injuries to his lower back and neck in an accident in Afghanistan in 2012. The injuries left him wheelchair-bound and struggling with depression.
Upon returning to the United States, he was assigned to the Wounded Warrior Battalion West (WWBW) to aid his recovery. When reflecting upon this period, Aquino described a sense of aimlessness. After noticing this, the section leader of the WWBW introduced him to TAV.
Woodturning, in the words of Aquino, is “an old man’s hobby.” The main instrument used for woodturning is a wood lathe that turns a block of wood while you use different tools to shape the wood into different symmetrical shapes.
Despite his pain and limited mobility, Aquino found himself completely immersed in his first woodturning class in 2012. “During that hour, I wasn’t in pain at that time. I guess my focus was on making this pen,” he said. Aquino described his first pen as a turning point in his life, noting, “my mind became clear at that moment.”
By 2019, Aquino became a mentor with SDW and a board member in 2020. After 11 years of active involvement, Aquino assumed the role of the TAV chairman.
Aquino expresses a commitment to introducing more servicemembers and veterans to woodturning, believing it can offer therapeutic benefits. He likened woodturning to navigating one’s problems, noting, “you see the bark but you don’t see what’s underneath.”
Since its formation in 2007, TAV has been able to reach about 2,500 service members, with roughly half remaining actively involved with TAV. Approximately 10 percent of participants become woodturners themselves, some even starting their own businesses selling items such as pens or bowls.
While woodturning is not for everybody and requires close supervision and following specific instructions, Aquino encourages them to persist and keep trying. Once they understand the basics, he believes that they will find it exciting to work freely with a block of wood.
For veterans who are struggling to transition to civilian life, Aquino advises, “Don’t be scared. Let your fears out. And I know that from my personal experience. Try something new.” He hopes to continue supporting veterans through TAV and collaborating with other organizations to expand the program’s reach.
For more information about the TAV, go to https://sdwt.org/wood/important-club-projects/turn-around-for-vets-1.
