Posted on 10/10/2012 9:49:52 AM PDT by GSWarrior
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - Coming home from war can be one of the most difficult experiences any person goes through. But one local group says music has the power to heal even the darkest of hearts -- which is why they're on a new mission to connect soldiers to songs.
Jared Midgley spent seven years of his life serving in the U.S. Army, during which he was deployed to Iraq. He says the transition to civilian life has gone well, but admits it hasn't always been easy.
"You build a wall and you're kind of hard-headed," said Midgley. "Military veterans, we're hard-headed."
He says one of the things that helped him pull through the bad memories were his kids. And when his 8-year-old son picked up a guitar, he felt inspired to do the same.
"I thought it would be a lot of fun to be able to sit down with my son and have something to share in common with him," said Midgley.
And it just so happened a group of veterans was looking for a guy just like him.
"They've discovered and we've discovered that music is a very important part of their lives," said Jim Keezer, a Soldier Songs board member. "It's a way of connecting. It's a way of keeping your sanity."
Soldier Songs has been working with veterans for about a month now, but just officially introduced themselves to the Grand Valley on the 4th of July. They connect war veterans with local music professionals who give them free lessons. To the extent they can, they also provide free instruments. And they're looking for more veterans to help.
"This program is so simple," said Jay Burbank, a co-founder of Soldier Songs. "We're just hooking up musicians and veterans and letting the music do the heavy lifting."
Midgley says it's done all that and more for him.
"Having been in the military, I wasn't home a lot,' said Midgley. "So to be able to spend some qualitytime with any one of my children is worth its weight in gold."
In addition to veterans, Soldier Songs is looking for musicians who want to donate their time or instruments to their cause. For more information you can call Soldier Songs at (970) 729-2348.
This is cool. I will have to look in to it further and see how I can help. This ties in with another favorite of mine Musicians On Call - http://www.musiciansoncall.org/site/PageNavigator/home
My most favorite charity though is the Wounded Warrior Project
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
Thanks.
I had a lot of disagreements with Bob Dole’s way of doing things politically, but I have always respected his military service and his sacrifice.
When he came back and spent years rehabbing, he got completely stuck on the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and apparently listened to it repeatedly to the point it drove everyone around him crazy.
But, it helped him.
Excellent. Thank you for posting.
FYI. You might be interested in this.
Thanks GSWarrior,Here’s a bump.
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