Soldiers Turned Songwriters to Perform at SAFE's Nashville Breakfast

SAFE, Soldiers and Families Embrace, is continuing to help active military men and women and veterans seek healing from the traumas of war. In September, SAFE paired Nashville songwriters with soldiers to share their stories through songs. On November 8 2013, a benefit concert was held for love ones and the public to hear the music that blood, sacrifice, and tears help produced.

On Friday, November 15, 2013, some of the songs will be performed again at SAFE's Nashville Breakfast. The SAFE Nashville's Breakfast will be held at Ben Folds’ Studio, 30 Music Sq. W. Ste. 310, Nashville, TN 37203 8:30 am.

One of the songs that will be performed at breakfast was co-written by Vietnam Veteran Bill Fritschler (sic), Jason Jones, and Keni Thomas, entitled "Unspoken."  The song expresses the pain of veterans and members of the military not being able to talk to their families about their war experiences. The song tells us about Bill's father's Silver Star, an award for valor in combat that Bill did not know his father had received in WWII until after Bill's father died. He and his mother never knew why or what had happened.  The three will share and sing the song.  Veteran David Bradley will also be there to share and sing his song, "Get a Hero Home." 

More About the Performers

In the summer of 1993, Sergeant Keni Thomas was deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia with the 3rd Ranger Battalion as part of an elite special operations package called Task Force Ranger. Their mission was to find a capture a criminal warlord named Mohammed Farrah Aideed. On the 3rd of October, Keni and his fellow rangers distinguished themselves in an eighteen hour fire-fight that would later be recounted in the highly successful book and movie “Blackhawk Down”. Nineteen Americans gave their lives and 78 were wounded in the worst urban combat seen by US troops since WWII.

Jason Jones is the son of a Vietnam Veteran and has shared that he has been able to talk to his dad more since the retreat than ever before about his war experiences. 

David Bradley is a veteran of Britain's Royal Air Force who donates a great deal of his time to veterans and their families and who personally recruited about a third of the songwriters who participated in the retreat and now the concert on Nov. 8. 

More About SAFE

SAFE is a resource for the region to ease the readjustment and reintegration of military members returning from our current wars and their families, as well as veterans from previous eras. The counselors and staff of Soldiers And Families Embraced are made up of veterans, family members of veterans or active duty military, or have extensive experience working with them. All services are confidential and provided free of charge.

http://thesafenetwork.org

For media interviews, contact: Jodi McCullah

jodi@thesafenetwork.org

For more photos from last week's concert, click here.

SAFE Co-Founder: Impact of PTSD Can No Longer Be Ignored on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life as we celebrate our military heroes' journeys before and after their service to our country. Hear from men and women who are sons and daughters; husbands and wives; fathers and mothers; grandparents; siblings; and loyal friends. Hear members of the Marines, Army, Air Force, and Navy share personal stories and highlights from their military careers. All have roles that made them the "first" in many endeavors throughout their lives and in the military. We will hear about their rarely discussed acts of courage and sacrifice that embody servant leadership that will empower, inspire, and motivate listeners.

On Saturday, September 21, 2013, tune in to hear veteran, pastor, and co-founder of  SAFE, Rev. Jodi McCullah discuss the ever increasing awareness of PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome) and TBI (traumatic brain injury) in the veteran and active duty members of the military. Listen as Jodi McCullah share how unresolved issues from facing life and death trauma daily can have a lasting impact on the mind, body, and soul. 

Jodi McCullah also talks about the importance of self care and two of the basic needs that many seek when asking for help, confidentiality. She shares how vital the importance of trust and confidentiality are for a person who maybe suffering from mental health issues. It may also be the determining factor to getting them into counseling.

Jodi McCullah was interviewed two days prior to the Navy Yard tragedy. Listen closely as some of the issues that have gripped the headlines during this week are foreshadowed in this compelling interview. PTSD can no longer be ignored as communities look for more solutions to get members of the military community help without shame, labeling, or repercussions.

 Tune into 760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, on Tune In, streaming live online at UStream.TV, and on military bases on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am CST.

Symptoms of PTSD (Mayo Clinic)
Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms typically start within three months of a traumatic event. In a small number of cases, though, PTSD symptoms may not appear until years after the event. 

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms are generally grouped into three types: intrusive memories, avoidance and numbing, and increased anxiety or emotional arousal (hyperarousal). 

Symptoms of intrusive memories may include:

• Flashbacks, or reliving the traumatic event for minutes or even days at a time
• Upsetting dreams about the traumatic event

Symptoms of avoidance and emotional numbing may include:

• Trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event
• Feeling emotionally numb
• Avoiding activities you once enjoyed
• Hopelessness about the future
• Memory problems
• Trouble concentrating
• Difficulty maintaining close relationships

Symptoms of anxiety and increased emotional arousal may include:

• Irritability or anger
• Overwhelming guilt or shame
• Self-destructive behavior, such as drinking too much
• Trouble sleeping
• Being easily startled or frightened
• Hearing or seeing things that aren't there

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms can come and go. You may have more post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms when things are stressful in general, or when you run into reminders of what you went through. You may hear a car backfire and relive combat experiences, for instance. Or you may see a report on the news about a rape and feel overcome by memories of your own assault. 

When to see a doctor

It's normal to have a wide range of feelings and emotions after a traumatic event. You might experience fear and anxiety, a lack of focus, sadness, changes in how well you sleep or how much you eat, or crying spells that catch you off guard. You may have nightmares or be unable to stop thinking about the event. This doesn't mean you have post-traumatic stress disorder. 

But if you have these disturbing thoughts and feelings for more than a month, if they're severe, or if you feel you're having trouble getting your life back under control, talk to your health care professional. Getting treatment as soon as possible can help prevent PTSD symptoms from getting worse. 

In some cases, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms may be so severe that you need emergency help, especially if you're thinking about harming yourself or someone else. If this happens, call 911 or other emergency medical service, or ask a supportive family member or friend for help.

Photos by Lawrence Taylor

Nashville Songwriters to help Middle Tennessee Heroes Heal Through Workshop

Fort Campbell is proud to be the home of the only Air Assault Division in the world, the 101st Airborne Division, the Army’s most-deployed contingency forces. In fact, the most recent U.S census recognizes that Clarksville, TN as the 2nd densest veteran population in the country. An hour drive from Clarksville and Fort Campbell is Nashville, TN, home to the Tennessee National Guard. Members of the Tennessee National Guard  have been deployed multiple times since 2002.

Many of these warriors carry with them Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and other emotional, mental, and physical injuries.

There is little argument that war is hard. The sacrifice, courage, and determination that it takes for the men and women of America’s Armed Forces to face loss of life and limb on the battlefield can be unimaginable to most ordinary civilians.  Often, the battlefield is not left behind when our military men and women return home. The burden of war is carried within them. The memories of combat experiences invade the mind daily. This impacts their ability to rejoin the community, families are torn apart, jobs are lost, and some face incarceration. The solider suffers silently while family and close relationships watch hopelessly.

Because music can change and even potentially save a life, Soldiers and Families Embraced (SAFE) and The Beat of Life are combining the expertise and resources of trained counselors and professional songwriters to help Ft. Campbell's veterans and active duty military personnel find a voice to tell their stories through songs.

The Bluebird Café calls the songwriters the “heroes behind the hits”. Nashville is nationally recognized as one of the top homes for successful songwriters of all genres. Induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame is one of the nation's highest songwriting honors. The songwriter is the heart beat of Music City and Middle Tennessee.

On the weekend of September 20-22, 2013, twenty servicemen and women have been invited to attend a retreat at the beautiful Cedar Crest United Methodist Campsite in Lyles, TN, where each soldier will be paired with one of Nashville’s most prolific songwriters to collaborate in telling their stories and creating original songs. Those stories, told through the undeniable power of music, will hopefully help begin that healing process.


Singing Their Stories Concert:

On November 8, 2013 at 7pm, these soldiers-turned-songwriters will take the stage with their co-writers to perform the original songs created at the retreat for family, friends, and the general public. The concert will feature hit songwriters and top artists from Nashville. The concert will be held at Austin Peay State University’s nationally acclaimed George and Sharon Mabry Concert Hall. It will be a night sure to be filled with healing as well as inspiration for all. Tickets are $5 at the door and a love offering will be collected to fund the counseling work of SAFE.

Singing Their Stories is sponsored by Shofner Vision Center, Austin Peay State University, Tennessee United Methodist Church Camp and Retreat Ministries, The Beat of Life, and SAFE.

SAFE is a resource for the region to ease the readjustment and reintegration of military members returning from our current wars and their families, as well as veterans from previous eras. The counselors and staff of Soldiers And Families Embraced are made up of veterans, family members of veterans or active duty military, or have extensive experience working with them. All services are confidential and provided free of charge.

The Beat of Life was also founded on the belief that we live in a city of tremendous heart, where members particularly of our music community are eager to give of their time, skills, talents, and passions, but that there was a need for a one stop shop, a central clearinghouse of sorts, to bring together what we have with what is needed in this city.

 
For Interviews:

Rev. Jodi McCullah (SAFE) 615-347-9071
Jeni Dominelli (The Beat of Life) 615-957-6324


Songwriter List:

David Bradley, Bob Regan, Tim Gaetano, Doug Drake, Lisa Malone, Stephen Cochran,  Jason Jones, Keni Thomas, Jeremy Bussey, Michael Peterson, Tim Maggart, Eric Lee Beddingfield

Album Production: Curt Ryle will be producing the album of the songs created by the heroes and songwriters

The Song Team: Jeff Jacob & Sheree Austin

Photo Credits: Fort Campbell, Commissioner Many-Bear Grinder, Cedar Crest Camp, and The Beat of Life

Fireworks: A PTSD Trigger?

As we are preparing for the upcoming Warrior-Centric Healthcare Training session on July 9th, 2013 at the Nashville Public Library, Dr. Evelyn Lewis, Chief Medical Officer for the Steptoe Group, offers the following insights:

 PTSD, sometimes undiagnosed, can carry an array of chronic, otherwise-invisible symptoms that flare momentarily or take root for a time: nervousness, hyper-emotionality, an inability to sleep, and an overreaction to seemingly humdrum, daily moments. These feelings are unleashed from deep in the memory, hardwired back to real, horrible events that occurred just once or many times during battle such as IED detonations, mortar bursts and gunfire. Visual or auditory reminders – or both – commonly set off such symptoms for veterans.  Typically, those with PTSD are bothered more by:   

*The fireworks that veer off slightly

* Fireworks that are shot off in the middle of the night,  

* Those that are randomly set off days before or after the actual holiday

That conditioned response can set a PTSD sufferer on edge for hours, or trigger memories that lead to depression that will last well past the Independence Day  and other holidays accompanied by fireworks.

Recommendations:

1.   On Memorial Day or 4^th of July it may be best for many of our servicemen, women, and veterans wrestling with PTSD to head to quiet places.

2.    In situations where environmental stimuli are beyond the control of the PTSD suffer, don headphones and listen to soothing music.

3.    Encourage your family and friends to consider quieter, calmer ways to celebrate our country’s independence.

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Keep in mind, an estimated 11to 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and nearly a third of Vietnam veterans suffer symptoms of PTSD — a figure that means if you light off string of Black Cats at random intervals or shoot off bottle rockets in the middle of the night it can trigger in veterans the hyper-alertness and adrenaline rush of combat.

As we continue to honor veterans for their bravery and sacrifice, let us also show our appreciation by considering their needs as they transition from combat to home-life.

Warrior Centric Art work by David Walker, Photos: UMKC Contributors to this post Dr. Evelyn Lewis(Navy), Niketa Williams UPitt School of Medicine, Genma Holmes