Nicole June Reporting
njune@clarksvillenow.com
Photos courtesy of SAFE
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – As Veterans Day approaches, we as Americans take time to reflect on the sacrifices our service members have made for the country and the betterment of our lives.
For active duty soldiers and veterans, this period of reflection can often be painful and haunting, which is why a group of Nashville songwriters has helped these men and women express themselves through Singing their Stories- Soldiers and Songwriters Retreat.
Among the participants were three active duty soldiers from the Warrior Transition Battalion, three Army National Guard members, four veterans (two of whom are female and are military spouses), and one female military spouse. More than two dozen songwriters teamed up with these individuals, including Keni Thomas, David Bradley, Bob Regan, Jeremy Bussey, Jonathan Wells and Jason Jones, as well as staff and writers from The Beat of Life.
The songwriters and participants met for a weekend retreat in September to share their stories in an attempt to heal some lingering wounds. Rev. Jodi McCullah, Director of SAFE (Soldiers and Families Embraced) said the groups got along so well that the songs were completed ahead of schedule.
At the beginning of the retreat, many participants were hesitant, but McCullah said by the time they left, all were enlightened and glad for the experience. “Several boxes of tissues were used. It was very moving and poignant,” she said. Some of the songwriters were combat veterans as well, which helped bridge the gap and ease communication.
McCullah believes music has healing powers through the exploration of subconscious imagery in an attempt to dissect one’s innermost feelings. “There is something about music that touches a part of our brains and our feelings that consciously we can’t always touch,” she said. “The idea is that it touches us in an emotional way that our conscious, verbal, linear mind won’t necessarily embrace. Our emotions are not usually linear, they tend to be images. So songwriting in particular, what they do, is focus on all the images.”
McCullah heard the songs performed, and was especially moved by “Dear Dustin”, “For Andrea”, and her favorite, “Words Unspoken”. “Dear Dustin” is a soldier’s letter to a fallen comrade, and “For Andrea” is a song for a soldier’s wife that explains all the things he had difficulty telling her before. “Words Unspoken” tells the story of a Vietnam veteran whose father had received the Silver Star in WWII, but never told his son why he earned the award. The song helped not only the participant, but the songwriter was actually able to connect with his own father because of the message it bore.
One man from the Warrior Transition Battalion was especially grateful for being able to reach out to his wife in a way he never had before. His wife said she had not seen him laugh or smile for nearly two years before attending the retreat, and he told McCullah he had been smiling since the morning the songwriting began.
Helping others relate through music is what McCullah hoped the participants would learn from the retreat. “Your story is probably the same story as another hundred or thousand people out there, and when they hear it sung, they’ll say ‘that’s my story too.’ You’re not just sharing for yourself, you’re sharing for a lot of people out there who aren’t doing this,” she said.
The journey is not over for these soldiers and veterans. The songwriters have professionally recorded their songs and will perform them Friday, Nov. 8 during the Singing their Stories concert at APSU’s Mass Communications Building. The concert begins at 7 p.m., and general admission tickets are available for $15. Student, military, and veteran tickets are $5.
Tickets can be purchased here.
The retreat and concert are sponsored by SAFE and The Beat of Life.
See photos from the retreat below: