by SWS | Nov 20, 2023 | Reflections on our Journey
“Before coming to the retreat, I had the date, the time and the way I was going to end my life,” Joshua Geartz told SW:S Co-Founder, Mary Judd in 2015. “Writing my song with Mary Gauthier gave me hope—something I had lost.” He had arrived a...
by SWS | Nov 13, 2023 | Reflections on Creativity
“When I attended SongwritingWith:Soldiers back in 2015, my PTSD was so severe that I did not want to be seen…”— Sandi Primous, US Army Veteran “As a 20-year Army Combat Veteran, I led 197 soldiers into a hostile combat zone in Iraq during the...
by SWS | Jun 18, 2023 | The Power of Connections
One of the most common feelings among service members and their families is, “nobody understands what it’s like.” They often feel disconnected from others within their families and beyond. SongwritingWith:Soldiers has held several retreats over the...
by SWS | Jun 11, 2023 | Reflections on Creativity
“When I attended the SongwritingWith:Soldiers retreat in Belton, I found my voice. I found the courage I needed to share my story. I realized how much I could help others.” — Brandy Davidson, US Army Veteran Brandy Davidson, a US Army Veteran attended our...
by SWS | Jun 4, 2023 | Reflections on our Journey
Reaching the Unknown Listener At SongwritingWIth:Soldiers, we post nearly every song written at a retreat onto our website to make it easy for anyone to listen and share. Thanks to social media outlets, such as Facebook, we are able to hear from some of those...
by SWS | May 29, 2023 | Reflections on our Journey
“He did not know such experiences could be put into words.”— Richard Erickson, Ch, Brig Gen, USAF, retired The son of a WWII Navy hero, Richard Erikson, a retired Air Force Brigadier General and Chaplain, has spent his life connecting with veterans. Early...
by SWS | May 22, 2023 | Reflections on our Journey
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Rick Loomis has worked several retreats with us, not only bringing his artistic expertise, but also his wisdom and empathy from being embedded in war zones. We have no doubt that Rick and many of his photographer colleagues could...
by SWS | May 15, 2023 | Reflections on our Journey
“…It’s not about writing a hit, or even a ‘killer song’. It’s about deep listening, building trust, building stronger bridges between people, opening up hearts.” — Will Kimbrough, Songwriter Along with our retreat partnership...
by SWS | May 8, 2023 | Reflections on our Journey
We’ve heard the clichés: “Timing is everything … Third time’s a charm.” In the case of US Army Veteran, Tom Griswold (`Griz’ to his friends) these clichés ring quite true. At the urging of his battle-buddy, SW:S participant Rob...
by Mary Judd, Co-founder and Board Member | May 1, 2023 | The Power of Connections
Sometimes we don’t know we are embarking on a great adventure until we are well into it. Those simple choices, early decisions, and serendipitous connections send us on our way even before we know something remarkable is coming together. Often it is a matter of...
