I don’t think there’s anyone above age 5 who doesn’t have feelings about war. We are introduced to it in countless ways — by seeing footage on the news, hearing an ancient fable at bedtime, listening to a story about a relative who was a Veteran, the list goes on. Regardless of how we are exposed to it, war is something each of us processes and deals with in our own way. But so few of us have first hand experience with war (fortunately). This doesn’t mean that we don’t understand, deep down, that it has significant effects on each man and woman who serves in the military, and that, in turn, affects their families, their friends, the community they live in . . . and our world.

One of our primary goals at SongwritingWith:Soldiers is to build awareness of what service men and women truly experience when they serve in the military, and more specifically, when they go to war and come home. How does it really affect them, their families, and the rest of us?

As of this writing, October 18, 2013, there are 43 songs that have been written by our songwriters and soldiers at our weekend retreats. They reveal a myriad of experiences and offer us all a rare opportunity to learn about and support each other.

Rebekah Layton, Katie Dowell and AJ Merrifield listen to a song at the SongwritingWith:Soldiers retreat.

For example, have you ever wondered what it is like to be the person who delivers the flag to a family whose loved one has died at war? A powerful song was written about it at our April 2013 retreat in Texas by AJ Merrifield, called Funeral Detail. (Listen here)

Ever wonder how couples handle the long time and distance of deployments and keep their love alive? Listen to Calling Home, written by EJ and Kim Obregon at the October 2013 retreat in Texas.

And, now, as more women are filling our service ranks, the need to understand and support them has never been greater. Read the lyrics to Women in the War below, then listen to the song. Take time to think of the people who wrote the song at our August 2013 retreat in Upstate NY — two women, Katie Dowell and Rebekah Layton, and a man, Gary Nicholson, who sat down, talked about their lives, then labored to craft the experiences into a song to share with us all.

These songs are straight from the frontlines, so to speak, and they need to be heard.

Each one of us needs to download these songs, to spread the word so we can all better understand and support each other. Make a donation to our program so we can reach more soldiers, learn from their experiences, and continue to build awareness.

Thank you!

Mary Judd, Executive Director, SongwritingWith:Soldiers

WOMEN IN THE WAR
Katie Dowell / Becca Layton / Gary Nicholson

SHE STARTS HER DAY BEFORE SHE SEES THE SUN
EVENING COMES SHE’S NOT DONE
COOKING AND CLEANING PAYING BILLS
LAUNDRY AND DISHES AND BABY SPILLS
MAKING LUNCH AND DRIVING CARPOOL
GET THE HUSBAND TO WORK GET THE KIDS TO SCHOOL
A WOMAN’S WORK IS NEVER DONE
SHE CLOSES HER EYES THE NEXT DAY’S BEGUN

SHE STARTS HER DAY BEFORE SHE SEES THE SUN
BUT THIS DAY STARTS WITH A FOUR MILE RUN
PUTS ON HER ARMOR AND PICKS UP HER GUN
EQUIPMENT CHECKS AND MAINTENANCE DONE
MISSION READY LOCK AND LOAD
ROLLING OUT TO THE DANGER ZONE

WOMEN IN THE WAR
REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY’RE FIGHTING FOR
FREEDOM FOR HER CHILDREN
AND A BETTER LIFE
SHE’S MORE THAN A SOLDIER
SHE’S A MOTHER AND A WIFE
EVERY MAN CAN BE THANKFUL FOR
WOMEN IN THE WAR

SOME ASK ARE THEY STRONG ENOUGH?
CAN THEY REALLY BE THAT TOUGH?
WILL THEY CRY WHEN THEY GET HURT?
BUT WHAT HURTS MORE THAN CHILDBIRTH?
THEY CAN PULL THE TRIGGER AND CARRY THE WEIGHT
TAKE A LIFE WHEN THAT’S WHAT IT TAKES

A WOMAN’S WORK IS NEVER DONE