“Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable.”
Leonard Bernstein
Operation Song’s Mission is to empower veterans and active duty military to tell their stories through the process of songwriting.
Our Vision is to become the premier songwriting organization serving the active duty military and veteran community, to expand our programs stateside and overseas, and to train others in our model.
Our History
Operation Song was founded in 2012. Nashville songwriter Bob Regan had the inspiration for the program in the 2000’s while performing on Armed Forces Entertainment Tours at military bases around the world. On those tours, Bob was made aware of the large number of service related injuries, issues, and illnesses related to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan: TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), PTSD, injuries and illnesses, greatly increased risk of suicide. It was apparent that servicemen and women who had deployed, many for multiple times, were having challenging transitions back to “normal” life. The idea was that putting a service member or a veteran in the room with a songwriter could be therapeutic, that transforming their story into a song might help them process seemingly random and chaotic events and emotions of war and give them some order, perspective, and validation.
The program started with weekly sessions at the VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro, TN under the supervision of a music therapist. Groups of as many as 8 veterans would tell stories about their military service and professional songwriters would transform them into song. The format gradually evolved from writing group songs to focusing on the individual veteran or service member, their stories and unresolved issues.
Operation Song soon began sponsoring weekend retreats around the Southeast in Ft. Benning, GA, Chattanooga, TN, Little Rock, AR, and as far away as New York, NY to Pensacola, FL. To date, Operation Song has written over 600 songs with veterans of WWII to those currently serving.
There has never been, nor will there ever be, a charge to any veteran or family member for our services. It is our honor to serve those who have served.
WHO WE ARE
Our Board of Directors includes veterans of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, professional songwriters, and others dedicated to serving the military.
BOARD MEMBERS
I went to see my routine weekly psychologist on Tuesday and he said “Chris this is our 5th session and this is the most relaxed I’ve ever seen you.” “So again I say Thank You BROTHER ’cause you didn’t help me unlock that door we kicked that F*#@*$ open together!!!!!”
Abbey, my wife, described it best when she said the writing of the song was a game changer.
This is such an incredible thing… I literally feel like it has been therapeutic for me. Please never stop doing what you do as I know it is helping so many individuals.