Eli Gosney, who designed this year's Salute to Military logo, is more than just an artist—he’s a hometown hero whose path to creating art was anything but easy.
An Imperial, Missouri native, Gosney joined the military straight out of high school and began his duties on April 2, 2004. Gosney was an Army Ranger and served two tours in Iraq before retiring in 2012.
After serving in the United States military for eight years, Gosney was set to return to civilian life. However his transition was harder than expected, and he turned to drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism. There is one memory that will forever be seared into Gosney’s mind.
“I woke up in the ICU because I was having DTs (delirium tremens) so bad from drinking so heavily,” Gosney said. “And my mother and my father had been pushing me to go to this inpatient program for like 12 months and I kept telling them ‘No,’ I didn't wanna do it. I thought I was fine, and obviously I wasn't.”
In 2015, Gosney’s life was changed for the better when he was admitted to the Residential Rehab Treatment Program at the VA Medical Center in Marion, Illinois. The program supports veterans with a dual diagnosis of mental health and substance abuse issues.
In rehab, Gosney discovered art as a way of communicating his thoughts and feelings with his mental health team. He started by creating stark black-and-white images to express his own emotions, then began using his art to share the stories of others.
During the program, Gosney would listen to others tell their story. He would take notes, draw their feelings and gift it to them in return. Soon after, he saw art as a means of helping people heal. This in turn guided him and his sobriety journey.
“I don't do it to make money. I do it because I enjoy it, and it helps people,” Gosney said.
Now nine years later, Gosney was connected with the Blues through the VA and given the opportunity to create the logo that would adorn this season's Salute to Military jersey, hoodie and puck.