This is New Wisco Weekend. I'm Lisa Hale.
Operation Song is a nonprofit organization that empowers veterans active duty military
members and their families to tell their stories through the process of song writing.
We start this segment with the 1% written by Del Rodriguez and Jamie Floyd performed
by Jimmy Thao.
We've got only makes a handful of hearts who can stand back up after falling apart.
We signed up for the worst of the worst. Nobody wanted to go. We said, take me first.
And then there's a reason we make it through. That's because yeah, we're built for that
too. The 1% is us in more ways than one.
The first ones in the last ones out. We don't break easy. Don't back down. We're made
of something stronger. We built the last a lot longer and we're coming home. It's easy
to forget what to do with pain. We hadn't faced yet, but we were born for every kind
of war. The 1% is us in more ways than one.
I'm the kind of happy that just doesn't have it. Found the kind of love that keeps on
lasting. What are the odds? I feel so blessed. Everything I lost. I get it back again.
I didn't know it, but I find out. I was the 1% than just like I am right now.
Where the first ones in the last ones out. We don't break easy. Don't back down. We're
made of something stronger. We built the last a lot longer and we're coming home. It's
easy to forget what to do with pain. We hadn't faced yet, but we were born for every
kind of war. The 1% is us in more ways than one.
Yeah. The team is nowhere to find me, but I wish I could look as they ain't no match
for what I made up. I'm the 1st one in the last one out. I don't break easy. Don't
back down. We built the last a lot longer and we're coming home. It's easy to forget
what to do with pain. We hadn't faced yet, but we were born for every kind of war.
The 1% is us in more ways than one. The 1% is us in more ways than one.
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
was doing arm forces tours, learned that veterans have incredible stories to tell. And
Bob Regan at that point was an incredible, you know, award winning, nominated songwriter
in Nashville, had written several number one hits, you know, tons of top chart hits
and he started dedicating his own personal time and money into Operation Song as the founder
in order to tell veteran stories. And the experience is extremely cathartic and powerful,
it's also very important for Americans to know and understand the sacrifice of veterans
and their families. And that's what's really great about, you know, our partnership with
you guys being able to be on the show is because of course we're always looking to serve
more veterans, but we also have a responsibility to try and share those stories with more
Americans so that they don't forget the sacrifice of veterans and their families.
And that's the mission of Operation Song. Operation Song's mission is to empower veterans,
military personnel and their families through the power and the process of songwriting.
And so, veterans in the past might not have had a platform to be able to share their
story. And, you know, Mike is our executive director of veteran engagement has said this
to me, Bob Regan, our founder has said this to me that, you know, there's things veterans
will put in a song that they won't just tell their family, right? And that's the power
of music, that's the power of songwriting and that's what Operation Song really aims to
do nationwide.
You would know, because I don't say it when you push it down, nothing changes, you're
keeping it all inside, won't get you to the other side, but now I know the shame
I felt wasn't mine, I forgive myself, you just have to give your time, little by little
you realize, pain feels big when it's happening, but it's not too big for the fighter,
the fighter and me won't give up, because I believe too much when I believe, I survive
because there's a fighter in me, all the darker days in the mirror lies, it shows
me someone I don't recognize, and I forget who I am, I feel like I won't understand,
but the truth is there, it never left, and maybe you can't see again, but there's
joy if you just hold a living proof when I should be gone, the fighter from Operation Song
was written by veterans Nate Dodson, Cory Ron, Brandon Tanner, Damon Gooch, and Jamie Floyd,
at Alvin C. York Veterans Administration Medical Center, with songwriter Jamie Floyd.
Thank you for being a part of Newisca Weekend, your look at Veterans and Veterans Day.
Newisca Weekend is written by Terry Barr and Lisa Hale, directed and produced by Lisa Hale.
Our lead correspondent is Terry Barr with features from Joanne Croulotte, Savannah Tomay Olson,
Jimmy Cusca, Pete Schwabba, and commentator Amanda Nimmer. If you have a story you'd like covered,
feel free to email anytime, lisa.hale at civicmedia.us. I'm Civic Media Northeast,
Wisconsin Bureau Chief Lisa Hale for WISS and WGBW News. Be unstoppable.
