Oak Ridge Boys Join American Legion in Battle of PTSD

Oak Ridge Boys unite with Legion
The American Legion
September 30, 2014

Grammy-winning and long-running country music group, The Oak Ridge Boys, will serve as spokespersons for The American Legion.

The American Legion and Grammy Award-winning artists, The Oak Ridge Boys, are uniting to raise awareness and support for needs of U.S. military veterans, including better detection and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), help with the VA benefits process, and education and career opportunities for those who served our nation in uniform.

The American Legion is the country’s largest veterans service organization, with 2.4 million members who work every day on behalf of the men and women who have served our nation in uniform.

The Oak Ridge Boys will participate in a national fundraising and awareness campaign to support the detection and treatment of mental health issues among veterans, 22 of whom are lost each day to suicide. As one of country music’s longest-running groups, The Oak Ridge Boys’ legacy extends back to the end of World War II.

The current group – which consists of lead singer Duane Allen, bass singer Richard Sterban, tenor Joe Bonsall and baritone William Lee Golden – recently celebrated more than 40 years performing together. In that time, The Oak Ridge Boys have produced more than 30 top 10 hit songs, 12 gold records, three platinum records, one double-platinum album and a double-platinum single, with combined sales totaling 41 million records sold. They maintain a vigorous touring schedule and released a live album in April, “Boys Night Out.”
read more here

G.I. Joe & Lillie The Oak Ridge Boys and PTSD

This song is about standing by a combat veteran haunted by combat.

Wives ask me all the time about standing by their side when they have PTSD, even though now there is a wealth of information available to help them cope with the changes in the husband brought on by combat. I tell them that it depends on how much they love them and what they are capable of. Some are just not able to stay because they have to be able to cope with the long list of changes, from nightmares to flashbacks, from angry outbursts followed by tears. If we look at the older wives that did it without any information at all, no support set up for them, nothing but love to hang onto, we understand that it can be done if love is really there.