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.

Being from the St. Louis region and combining his passion for both art and the military, Gosney was elated to play a pivotal role in the team’s military night efforts.

For the occasion, he created the piece “Salute to Our Troops.” It is an interpretation of his original piece “Self Reflection,” which was inspired from looking back on the time he spent serving. Gosney wanted to present the Blues with a piece that they could use to commend the armed forces, and he was inspired to make the team their own unit patch.

This led to the creation of “Salute to Our Troops,” where he shows that every unit or team fights better together under one patch. The logo Gosney designed will be seen on merchandise and at Enterprise Center when the Blues host Salute to Military Night, presented by Boeing, on Nov. 12.

Fans can bid on locker room-issued warm-up jerseys at blues.givesmart.com in an auction that will run Tuesday at 10 a.m. until Thursday at 9 p.m. Additionally, autographed mystery pucks will be available at the Blues for Kids section located outside Portal 15. Proceeds from the night will be donated to veteran-focused nonprofits including Folds of Honor, H.E.R.O.E.S. Care and Blues Warrior Hockey.

Amber Davis, the team’s Director of Creative Services, shared that supporting a talented veteran like Gosney was a priority for the organization on this special night.

“The Blues are proud to spotlight a talented local military artist and share their story with the community they have served,” Davis said. “Our goal is to support veteran causes by elevating the work of a skilled and accomplished military artist. We are very excited Eli has chosen to collaborate with us in creating a memorable and meaningful design to both the military and Blues fans.”