Operation Song

In their song “The Same War,” Army Captain Zach Peterson and his wife Kassie wrote about the strain couples face throughout deployments and their pursuit toward the same goal: a happy life together as a family.

This #OperationSong spotlights “No Cinderella” by Army Veteran Lory Gatter and Jenn Franklin. Gatter wrote about overcoming traumatic experiences.

Army Veteran Sam French co-wrote “I Fly” with Don Goodman and Matt Dame. The song opens with French remembering that, like most males of his generation, he was drafted into service. French was just 21 in 1969, and he “wanted to have a choice, didn't want to be one of those front line-boys."

In his song “Still Over There,” Air Force and Navy Veteran Franklin Tootle sings about his fight with PTSD.

Army Veteran Michael Peterson from Richmond VA Medical Center and nine other Veterans turned their military experiences into songs at a workshop in Nashville presented by nonprofit Operation Song.

Operation Song empowers Veterans to tell their stories through songwriting.

"The Last Monday in May," written by Bob Regan and Don Goodman with Veterans from Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, is a tribute to the spirit of Memorial Day.

In her song “Flowers on a Stone”, American War Widow Brittany Lawrence remembers her one true love, Army Captain Joshua Lawrence.

Veteran Chuck Ayars retells a story of humanity amidst horror in “Daddy from Maypearl”.

Gary Lima served in a Marine helicopter squadron during the 1974 Cyprus Conflict. His song is to help Veterans with PTSD confront their trauma.

Zarita Croney is an ambassador for the Military Sisterhood Initiative, where she fights to let other female Veterans know they are not alone.

Department of Veterans Affairs and the nonprofit Operation Song launched the first of a series of national music therapy retreats Nov. 14-17 in Nashville, Tennessee.