Veteran’s Songwriting Camps & Contest
Many veterans have PTSD. Many of those with PTSD do not want to talk about it even though offers of help are many. The Grand Ole Opry, hospitals, and many other organizations found a surprising fact. Veterans who will not seek help for depression, PSTD, or suicide from medical people will often try their hand at songwriting. Like music or art therapy, but even stronger, writing a song makes you express yourself; paint a picture using words and emotions. Once you get a bit used to drawing on your own words and feelings, expression becomes more comfortable.
Our Music Supervisor, Glenn Johnson, was one that, after two tours in Viet Nam, did not fully understand PTSD and its effects. Then one day years later, he wrote a song. Relieved of a great deal of anxiety and anger, he now recommends it as “a great way to make it the rest of the way home.”
For many veterans and disabled veterans, our race event has become a goal, given purpose, bolstered self-image, added more interest to life, and provided comradery. Songwriter Camps and a Veterans Songwriter Contest are highly compatible with our race. They offer a new way for a Vet to stay “green and growing,” offers skills to learn, offers competition to work at, and will probably serve to relieve some pent-up stress along the way.
Glenn says, “You don’t need to know how to play and instrument, sing, or understand music theory. If you like listening to songs, you can write a song. After that, it is a matter of how well you learn to do it. It is not hard but there is tradecraft to learn. Some people may only write lyrics, and some may prefer to just come up with a melody. Some may do both. If you are strongest at one, we can introduce you to those who prefer the other. If you really get into it, we can show you how to get your songs inexpensively recorded and pitched to TV, Movies, ads, publishers, recording artists, and more. We can teach you how to sell the rights to a recorded song. Just try one of our Camps. Those that help veterans (friends, American Legion Auxiliary and SAL members, relatives, etc.) and first responders with PTSD are also welcome at any of our camps and get the same free benefits as Vets.”
Contact Us
Glenn Johnson is our Music Supervisor and our Flag Project Manager. Glenn is a member of American Legion Post 47, Nashville Songwriters Association Intl, the founder of Fort Wayne Singer-Songwriters, and is teaching veterans to write songs in conjunction with the VA, the Vet Center, and various PTSD referrals. Glenn conducts local Songwriter Camps for requesting American Legions, Vet Centers, VA Hospitals, either before or at the Triathlon and our Camp at the Event. He is working with several organizations to put together our Veterans Songwriting Contest.
If you would like to contact Glenn Johnson about either Flags or Songwriting, please do:
America’s Race / Leon’s Triathlon thanks you for helping us serve veterans since it was founded in 1983. We do not solicit contributions from the general public. Any that would like to give to the Triathlon, Songwriting Camps, annual Veterans Songwriting Contest, or our Blood Drive and Ride can contact Glenn or Kevin. We accept checks written to Leon’s Heroes Inc., which is an Indiana Incorporate 501c3 (not for profit) corporations. 100% of donations are humbly used on the veteran supporting activities listed on this site.
