This is New Wisco Weekend. I'm Lisa Hale your host. In honor of Flag Day, our musical segment
this week is from Operation Song. Todd Michaels interviews one of the singer songwriters and
gives us some great music from the movement. Here's Operation Song.
The flag is for freedom, for each and everyone, for waking up each morning and doing what
you love. The flag is for fighting, somewhere far away with my brothers and my sister
to keep you safe. The flag is more than red, white and blue. It's united, we will stand
and divide and win withers. It's flying high above this land. So we remember what we've
got when we forget what the flag is for. The flag is for the honor of all the ones we lost
who paid the greatest price and didn't care about the cops because they heard the call
and weren't afraid to stand in their ground against anything and everything or I can hear them now.
Flag is more than red, white and blue. It's united, we will stand and while we fight for
each of you, it's flying high above this land. So we remember what we've got when we forget what the flag is for.
The flag waits for you, the flag waits for me and every time I hear the words, oh say, can you
see? I put my hand over my heart because I believe the flag is more than red, white and blue.
It's why we stand upon our feet and pledge through and through. It's flying high above this land.
It's the highest honor for the love put in a mother's hands. So just make it back.
Though it will be lost to one here anymore when you think about what the flag is for.
On with us right now, John Foti from the CEO with Operation Song Guys. Thanks for being on with me today.
Yeah, thanks for having me.
John, give me a little of your background and a little bit of the background of Operation Song if you would.
Yeah, so I am a Army veteran. I was in the Army as a helicopter pilot from 2012 to 2018 and I was
unfortunately medically discharged at the age of 27 with Type 1 diabetes and that was kind of my
introduction to the veterans community. After I got out of the Army, I tried a few things but
eventually found myself in love with nonprofit work, specifically the opportunity to serve and
continue to serve my peers but just not in uniform anymore through the veterans nonprofit community.
Operation Song's vision is to be able to tell the story of every veteran to every American and
that includes military personnel and their families. Our founder, Bob Regan in 2012, doing Armed
Forces tours, learned that veterans have incredible stories to tell. He started dedicating his own
personal time and money into Operation Song as the founder in order to tell veteran stories.
Oh, what a healing, to let it all go, oh, surrounded by brothers. Oh, no, what you know.
58,178, but every soldier this moment can't wait. You're resting on memories, let history
go. Thank you for all that you gave. Welcome home. Welcome home. Welcome home. Welcome home. Welcome home.
Welcome home. Welcome home. Their tongues were tired and their bodies were sore and all
glory she landed. They got up for the door. A crowd of 200,000 or more. Oh, it tears and great
cheers for these heroes of war. 58,178, I wish my father could be here today. You're
resting on memories are flesh in our home. Thank you for all that. Thank you for being a part of
Newisco Weekend and our look at Flag Day. Newisco Weekend has produced written and directed by
Lisa Hale. Our executive producer is Todd Michaels with features from Melissa Kay, Brittany Merlot,
Joanne Croulettes, Pete Schwabba and commentator Amanda Nimmer. If you have a story you'd like to hear
us cover, email me anytime, Lisa.Hale at civicmedia.us. I'm civic media Northeast Wisconsin news bureau chief
Lisa Hale for WISS and WGBW news. Be unstoppable.
