Ramona was tired. She had been struggling lately. Her therapist encouraged her to attend the SongwritingWith:Soldiers retreat for all female veterans near Fort Hood in May. She reluctantly agreed, but had little hope of it making any difference. On Day Two Ramona sat...

“The possible’s slow fuse is lit by the imagination.” Emily Dickinson For our veterans, it is sometimes difficult to describe how they feel immediately after writing a song. They have unexpectedly connected with someone they didn’t know and then created something...

At SongwritingWith:Soldiers, we talk a lot about the impact that collaborative songwriting has on our veterans and the far reaching “ripple effect” of their songs. One thing we don’t talk a lot about is the impact of our program on the professional songwriters. Many...

The other day, as I was walking along the trail behind my house, I thought of the many people who have said to me, “You are always so positive.” Or, “I need Mary time.” I thought of this as I tried to set my pace, my feet and knees struggling more than usual. I knew...

Greg Trooper passed away on January 16, 2017. He’d been sick for awhile, but he didn’t let it slow him down that much. He was still doing shows up until a few months ago, and had just recorded tracks for a record with Stewart Lerman, Steuart Smith and Kenny Blevins,...

We have learned so much from the veterans who have attended our SongwritingWith:Soldiers programs—the various reasons they joined the military, the struggles they endured, the feats they accomplished, the deep bonds they formed with their brothers and sisters in arms,...

By Mary Judd, SW:S Executive Director He stared at me, his eyes silver blue, intense. I could tell he was gritting his teeth behind his slight grin, jaw muscles pulsating. He thought he’d gotten me. I knew this was coming eventually, being cornered and questioned by a...

At SongwritingWith:Soldiers retreats, veterans talk a lot about being inspired—inspired to share their stories with the songwriters, inspired by each other’s courage in opening up, inspired by the powerful songs written, inspired by a new community of friends....

Our story is simple. One day in 2012, Darden Smith wrote a song with a veteran. The connection was so strong that he thought, What if I got more songwriters to do this? On that same day, Mary Judd watched them work together and recognized the impact of helping...

At 6 o’clock I will defend you At 6 o’clock just call my name At 6 o’clock I’d die for you And I know you’d do the same From I Got Your 6 written at a SongwritingWith:Soldiers retreat by two Iraq war veterans and a professional songwriter If it weren’t for The Bob...