IN THE PRESS
2021
Forbes | ‘Operation Song’ Releases Memorial Day Album Honoring 8 Fallen Heroes
Fifteen years ago this past April, Tammy Bass opened her door to find three Marines with word her son had been involved in an accident and was missing in Iraq. Three hours later they returned to confirm her worst fears...
Huckabee | Gold Star Mom, Tammy Bass & Songwriter, Bob Regan
Gold star mom Tommy Bass OPENS UP about the song that she made with RENOWNED songwriter Bob Regan.
2020
Military Times: VA Is Sending More Veterans to Songwriting Retreats
Originally featured on Military.com. The Department of Veterans Affairs is expanding a partnership with a Nashville nonprofit that links veterans with professional songwriters and musicians at retreats the VA describes as "helping veterans share and cope with military experiences through music."
Fox News: Mother Retraces Fallen Son’s Steps
The Story of Nanette West, performance of My Hero, My Soldier, My Son.
CBS This Morning: Veterans cope with PTSD by writing songs about their experiences
Many service members who return home suffer from PTSD. Operation Song is a program helping veterans cope with their trauma by pairing them with musicians to turn their stories into powerful songs. Dean Reynolds of CBS This Morning reports.
Fox News: Bob Regan on ‘Operation Song’ helping veterans tell their stories
Operation Song’ founder Bob Regan and program director Michael Byer join ‘Fox and Friends Weekend.
Washington Post: Songs of war and healing–D.C. veterans traveled to Nashville to create music
Originally featured in The Washington Post For Calvin Tildon, Dec. 23, 1968, was a day full of smoke and fire and blood. Dec. 23, 1968, was the day the young Army lieutenant stepped from a
2019
Veteran Turns His Story Into Song
Operation Song gives Veterans the chance to express themselves through music at Nashville workshop.
Battle lines: Songwriters Help Veterans Soothe Painful Memories by Putting Them into Lyrics
On a cloudy Saturday morning in February, participants in the Little Rock chapter of Operation Song's winter retreat gather for breakfast before getting down to the business of storytelling and songwriting.
#OperationSong – “The Forgotten War” by Carl Murphy
This #OperationSong spotlight is on “The Forgotten War” by Veteran Carl Murphy who served in the Army. Carl served during the Korean War.
2018
When Music Becomes Medicine
Songwriters from Operation Song go from hitmaking to healing as they co-write with Tennessee’s military veterans with PTSD
Tennessee Crossroads: Operation Song
On Nashville Public Television's Tennessee Crossroads, learn about 'Operation Song,' where songwriters help veterans deal with PTSD by writing songs about the memories that haunt them. Check out Ralph's Donut Shop in Cookeville. Learn the fascinating history surrounding an antebellum mansion in Knoxville. Visit one of Tennessee's smallest counties for one BIG Irish celebration.
#OperationSong – “He Took My Place” by Gary Lima
This #OperationSong spotlight is on “He Took My Place” by Veteran Gary Lima who served in the Marine Corps as a sergeant and the Army as a major.
2017
Sunday Today Show: Operation Song is using country music to help veterans find their rhythm
Doctors at the Department of Veterans Affairs are helping some military veterans return from deployment with an unlikely prescription: country music. In this week’s Sunday Closer, NBC’s Kerry Sanders travels to Nashville to meet vets finding their new rhythm alongside two of country music’s biggest songwriters.
#Veteran of the Day: Sean Niquette
Vantage Point | December 8, 2017 Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Sean Niquette who wrote the song “West Point to Arlington” with #OperationSong. Sean served during the Iraq War. Sean was born in
#Veteran of the Day: Daniel Williams
Written by Adam Druckman | December 1, 2017 Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Marine Corps Veteran Daniel Williams. Daniel served in the Marines from 2000 to 2004 and wrote the song “Breathe In, Breathe Out”
2016
MTSU “Operation Song”Session Helps Vet Heal
Written by Wes Talley, Rutherford Source | November 4, 2016 The day could’ve been another workday for seven Nashville songwriters and another co-writing assignment in an MTSU experiential learning course for seven advanced
Songwriting Trios Help Local Veterans at MTSU “Operation Song”
Written by Gina Fann, MTSU News | November 1, 2016 The day could’ve been another workday for seven Nashville songwriters and another co-writing assignment in an MTSU experiential learning course for seven advanced
[Listen] Program Helps Chattanooga Veterans and Families of July 16 Victims Turn Traumatic Memories Into Music
Written by Casey Phillips, Times Free Press | July 17, 2016 Some stories are easier to tell than others. Some — the especially painful ones — never slither into the light of day at
2015
At Nashville’s VA, Songwriting As Therapy For Sexual Assault In The Military
Written by Emily Siner, Nashville Public Radio | October 5, 2015 The conference room inside a Veterans Affairs center in Nashville feels distinctly clinical: beige walls, gray carpet, creaky chairs. But on a Monday afternoon in
The Mission of Operation Song: Military Veterans Seek Solace in Songwriting
A white-haired man with a guitar walks into a conference room at Fort Campbell, Tennessee and greets a group of assembled veterans. He's five minutes early, but they're already clearly settled in, waiting for him.
Easing the Pain of War with Country Songs
By John Donohue, The New Yorker Magazine | May 24, 2015 This year, in honor of Memorial Day, there’s a concert on the West Lawn of the Capitol. Among the people headed to Washington, D.C., for