A Musical Tribute “American Hero”

American Hero

“Freedom Sings USA provides songwriting and music-arts therapy programs for Veterans and Military families. Based in Nashville and Chattanooga (TN), we are now providing weekly classes, monthly workshops and touring events nationwide (live and online). Whether you’re a veteran searching for a place to connect with peers, a songwriter looking to share your talents, or an organization interested in supporting our Veteran-focused mission, we invite you to get involved today. Music is Good Medicine.™“

My son Jon lives in the Nashville area and is a member of this organization and each member is asked to tell their stories. These wonderful songwriters then take their memories and put them to music. It’s excellent therapy; it gets vets together and lets them tell their stories and it serves as a healing process for many.

All of us who served have our stories to tell and its often a needed part of recovery from PTSD. But how do we tell these stories? How can we try to relate to those who haven’t experienced war? It was difficult, especially for Vietnam Veterans because of the conditions we came home to – the rabid anti-war feelings. For many veterans they can only relate these experiences to fellow veterans, those who understand.

When I returned from Vietnam on a 30-day home leave between tours I visited my Grandfather, a World War I Veteran. He never talked about his war experiences. He went through all of the toughest campaigns of the war as an artilleryman. Of the 900 men who left Des Moines Iowa for France he was one of only nine who served the entire war together. I found that he had been gassed three time but recovered and rejoined his gun crew. We sat for hours going over old battle maps as he described the terrible fighting that he had been through. He would talk about friends that he lost and those that survived.

I asked him why he hadn’t told these stories to my dad, and his sons’ they were WWII veterans. He looked at me and said, “Petee, your dad an Uncle Pete were sailors and your uncle Howard was a fly-boy who never left the states – what the Hell did they know about ground combat? You’ve been under fire and you understand!

It took my Grandfather over fifty years to finally be able to talk to someone who he felt could understand,

This wonderful group not only allows vets to tell their stories they also involve them with fellow veterans who understand and can share.

This is the song that they wrote about my son, Jonathan Taylor, a US Marine who served two tours in Iraq as a combat engineer. His song was written about his father. It was perhaps he best Father’s Day present that any father could receive.

Thanks Jon, and thanks to the songwriters and musicians that take their time to work with these Vets! God Bless!

“Hardcharger”

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=o_dhKQL6my8

“The Hardchargers” discussed those last days that we were in Vietnam during the final pull out of combat troops from Vietnam on March 29th, 1973 – Sorry, Jon, fortunately I was already home when Saigon fell – but you got the last out of Vietnam correct. LOL!

If you’re enjoying these blogs please drop me a comment or if you have any questions that I might answer, again submit a comment on the comment pages. I’m always glad to hear from you.

Again, please take a look at all of my books that I have listed. They can be purchased from Amazon.com with the click of a button directly from my website, www.ptaylorvietnamadvisor.com.  Until next Friday, Have a good week.

The Advisor Series:

• “The Advisor, Kien Bing, South Vietnam, 1969-1970. A Novel” (Available on Amazon ASIN: B09L4X5NQ3)
• “The Province Senior Intelligence Advisor, Kien Song Province 1970-1971; A Novel” (Available on Amazon ASIN: B0BHL2XCX5)
• “The Hardchargers,” Vietnam 1972-1973; A Novel” (Available on Amazon ASIN: B0C7SPR1JY)
• “The Tuscarora Trail” (Available on Amazon ASIN: B0D3QY2GM6)

Check out my website for other books that I’ve written or edited.

Website: ptaylorvietnamadvisor.com