TruTech’s Moore Shares His Post-War Art Therapy and Pest Control Journey

SARASOTA,  Fla. — Phillip Moore, technician for TruTech Wildlife Services in Southwest Florida, has been known for jumping on rattlesnakes and handling “dangerous critters” for nearly a decade. (Click here to listen to the full interview.)

What some of his day-to-day customers might not know is that he also helps local veterans overcome mental health challenges through forms of art therapy.

Moore served active duty in the U.S. Army from 2004-2010, including during the war in Iraq. When he returned to civilian life, he developed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and searched for a form of therapy to help cope with his symptoms.

Moore attended Parkland College, where he focused on the field of fine art, as PCT previously reported when he won The David Cooksey PestVet of the Year Award last March.

In 2014, Moore and his wife Michele moved to Florida. This is when the couple took an art class at the North Port Art Center in North Port, Fla., and Moore quickly realized the mental benefits of art therapy.

“As [our interest in creating art] grew, she was trying to give me something to paint every day. I have all of these photos from Iraq that I really didn’t even think of doing anything with,” Moore said. “Once I started painting those pictures, I started to reminisce [about] the gunpowder and hearing things. Going through those [memories] would not have been as therapeutic if I were just talking back and forth about it with someone.”

Moore said when he first started visiting the art center, he was “too sketched out to talk to people or introduce himself.”

“I went from waiting in the parking lot [for my wife], to going in and participating in classes,” Moore added.

© Phillip Moore

‘THE ART OF WAR.’ What makes Moore’s journey even more interesting? His colorblindness.

“When I was joining the military, they told me I was colorblind and I said, ‘I don’t think so,’” Moore said. “I spent 20 years arguing with people.”

Moore had finished 18 paintings in less than six months with nowhere to showcase them. This is when his art exhibit, “Art of War,” came to life.

Moore was able to hang his paintings on display at the art center and was given the opportunity to host his own art show on Veterans Day. Sixteen paintings were professionally framed for the display with a visit from U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.), who presented Moore with an American flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol.

“Being able to talk to people has been a great form of vocational rehabilitation for me,” Moore said. “There was a point in time where I didn’t associate with you. I wouldn’t talk to you.”

Moore wanted to take his passion for art to the next level and started his own workshop for local veterans to use art as a form of therapy. 

© Phillip Moore

“We’ve had daily workshops with up to 10 people and we do wood carving or clay sculptures where we have people who come in and teach that,” Moore said. “Some veterans have been able sign up online and do six-week’s worth of classes [virtually].”

Moore said he’s developed relationships with many of the veterans in his art workshops. 

“I’ve sat really still and just listened to people who are willing to offer a story or scenario about their service,” he said. “When I thank them for sharing, a lot of them have said, ‘That’s the first time I’ve told anyone about that, and it’s very meaningful to hear that.”

Moore also made calendars with his paintings and used the funds to buy supplies for workshops.

“We started a program to help veterans locally and abroad to take classes at the North Port Art Center,” he said. “It’s really about trying to build camaraderie and letting other veterans know there are battle buddies out there.”

A LOVE FOR ANIMALS

Moore said he was on the hunt for a career that would give him the “adrenaline rush” he once felt while serving in Iraq.

“I’m not a war junkie, but I miss that rush of going outside the wire every day,” he said.

His love for animals and helping people led him to the pest control industry as a wildlife technician with TruTech Wildlife, which is part of Rollins, Inc.

“I moved to Florida and found out that wildlife and people were overlapping in a tremendous rate, and I had no idea there was a service industry that was tremendously needed,” he said.

Moore said being able to interact with customers each day has helped overcome social barriers.

“I had a hard time talking to people and going up to their front doors [initially] but the whole art thing was a natural thing to my wife and I,” he said. “I’ve had the same job and developed a lot of relationships with people in the company. When people sign up for a service agreement, I run the same route of services every month.”

Moore said he believes pest control companies can offer internal support for veterans.

“There could be a way for them to connect on a closer level,” he said. “Last year, Rollins sent out a military coin for Veterans Day. That military coin they sent me was on display at the art show.”