Veterans Outreach Home Free, CD to help support veterans

by
Chaplain Kathie

Veterans Outreach has produced a music CD, with really great music, for sale to help them with their work of reaching veterans in need.

John Ely sent me a copy of the CD. As I listened to it, I wished that I would never see a picture like this ever again.



This young, wounded, veteran was so overwhelmed by the welcome received at Orlando International Airport, he broke down. Hundreds of people showed up to welcome a group from a Warrior Transition Unit as they set off for some time to enjoy Disney. Wouldn't it be wonderful if this kind of thing was so normal that none of them would be overwhelmed by the attention and support? I dream of the day that these events are common and not news making. They just don't happen enough.

I grow more and more depressed over the state of our veterans. So many needing help but returning to a nation where they are basically ignored. For years the protests and the counter protests inspired thousands of people to come out and the focus was on the troops serving in Iraq. There was a lot of passion on both sides. Where is that passion now?

While Iraq made the news, even as little as it was, Afghanistan was hardly ever mentioned. Imagine being in Afghanistan, serving because of 9-11, risking your life and then being ignored. You wouldn't like it. They didn't like it either but they did what was asked of them, just as they did what was asked of them in Iraq.

If you support what was done in Iraq, great. If you don't, then you need to open your eyes and your heart. The passion you showed protesting the occupation of Iraq is still needed but as the occupation winds down with the passage of the agreement for the troops to be totally withdrawn by 2011, we have hundreds of thousands of men and women coming back needing their wounds taken care of, especially the wounded by PTSD and TBI. Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, Sailors, National Guards and Reservists, all dealing with wounds and fighting to have their wounds taken care of.

Over 800,000 claims are backlogged and waiting with the claim is a wounded veteran with families also waiting, hoping and praying for justice so they can get on with their lives. Where is that passion you showed when you protested them being in Iraq? You all said you supported them but not Bush. So where is that support now?

There are so many groups stepping up to do what the government should have been doing all along but they are not supported by volunteers or your donations. You found time to go into the streets to protest and counter protest, so you should be able to find the time now to actually do something about supporting them when they really need you.

In this economy, everyone is hurting, dealing with a lot of personal stress with jobs lost but bills that still have to be paid. As bad as it is for us, they come home after risking their lives, deal with all the problems we have, but also with the knowledge they just got back from risking their lives for the rest of us and then abandoned by the rest of us. No matter how you feel about what was done in Iraq, they risked their lives for us because the government of this nation said it was needed. They didn't get to decide where they wanted to go, how long they would go or if they would be sent back over and over again, or not. They only got to decide if they would serve or not.

When I was trying to pick a song out of the CD Home Free, it was All the Unsung Heroes. These men and women were not made heroes by the military. They were born that way. We were lucky they decided to use what was in their core to serve. Not just the newer veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq, but the veterans we have left from WWII, Korean, Vietnam, and Somalia, Bosnia that are forgotten about along with the Persian Gulf War veterans. All of our veterans were willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the rest of us.

Watch the video. If you like the music from this one song, you'll love the rest of them.

All The Unsung Heroes, sung by Lane Broody is used in the video
In America, Ricochet
Home Free, T. Graham Brown
Somewhere in America, James Dean Hicks
Sarge, Rick Lance
Katie and John, Chandler
Son of America, Corbin Hanner
Can't Kick the Country Out of Me, New Glory
Americana, Moe Bandy
The Unknown Soldier, Don Ellis
Letter to the Front, Sheri Jo Porter
Arlington, by Chris Ward

HOME FREE, A Tribute to American Veterans
HOME FREE became a pet project for Rick Lance (a US Navy vet) as, not only an artist on the CD ( w/ "Sarge"), but also as co-producer with Bob Corbin, photographer of the package design and placed the project on his own record label, Duke Records. Rick has had his own photo studio in Nashville for years and worked with designer Richard Cook to achieve such a unique cover and package design.
Rick and Richard said, "We chose a World War Two theme since Hollywood has for so many years done such an incredible job of illustrating that war. And we are aware of the public's nostalgic facination with that period of American history. But of course, our intention is to help honor ALL American veterans." Rick also said, "When John Ely, President of Veterans' Outreach, Inc., the project's sponsor, brought me onto the project as artist and co-producer, I told him I wanted our music to showcase America in all its glory and not to just put out another collection of patriotic songs. We found only the best material... most songs have never been heard by the general public before ... written by some of the best songwriters here in Nashville."

HOME FREE is a diverse 12-track Country music compilation CD honoring our American veterans. It acknowledges the sacrifice and the courage of the men and women who served in the Armed Forces and illustrates America's values, way of life, traditions and diversities.The title track, HOME FREE, is performed by Country great, T. Graham Brown. Sung in his stunning gravely blues style.
Other selections include
performances by Ricochet, Moe Bandy, Lane Brody, Corbin Hanner, Don Ellis, James Dean Hicks, Chris Ward, Sheri Jo Porter, Chandler and New Glory. All of these great artists have had critical acclaim within Country music or Country Pop. Most have or soon will have record deals in place.

This is NOT a run-of the-mill collection of patriotic songs as the listener will notice right from the start. It will make you proud and it will make you cry!

HOME FREE was concieved by John Ely, President Veterans' Outreach, Inc.
A registered non profit organization providing assistance to American veterans. Proceeds from the CD will be used to fund Veterans' Outreach, Inc. programs including aid to homeless vets and assistance to our returning servicemen and women....to enable veterans to achieve their personal resolve and share in the American Dream. Our vets need us now more than ever. Sadly, more of our servicemen and women are becoming America's NEW crop of veterans. God bless our troops, our vets and our country!

For additional information regarding our HOME FREE artists and the Veterans' Outreach, Inc. see www.veteransoutreach.net or call 1.888.2VETNET