Country music for a cause… you gotta love it.
CreatiVets, a non-profit that uses art and music to help veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, has teamed up with Big Machine Records to raise awareness and pay tribute to the 20 veterans that commit suicide a day on average.
They’re doing this by releasing a new song on the 20th day of every month, with this month’s release titled “They Call Me Doc,” featuring Vince Gill, Aaron Lewis, and Dan Tyminksi. And let me tell you right now, it’ll rip your heart out.
“They Call Me Doc was written through the CreatiVets songwriting program with US Navy Veteran, Shaun Bott. Shaun, a Navy corpsman (medic), was deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom and provided medical support for US Marine convoy operations.
His song pays tribute to all “Doc’s” that have served in each war, the hardships they have had to endure and the lives they have saved.”
Written by Shaun, along with the former duo Walker McGuire, the song tells the gut-wrenching story of a military medic who has endured the unimaginable, working to save the lives of their brothers in sisters injured in combat. That last verse it where it’ll really get you:
“You’ll never know the heartache
Of looking a grown man in the eye,
When he asks you ‘am I gonna make it?’
And you gotta lie…”
Man… I wasn’t ready for that.
CreatiVet’s Co-Founder/Executive Director Richard Casper is stoked for the campaign:
“We’ve seen time and time again the healing power of music not only help our program participants, but also those American heroes who have access to listen to these songs.”
Our mission with this music series is perhaps counterintuitive to the music industry’s normal strategies. We aim to reach the right audience, not necessarily the largest audience, and I love the fact that our friends at Big Machine are okay with that fact. I know first-hand how isolating it can feel, sitting at home, not feeling like anyone can understand what you’ve gone through.”
Future song releases come from artists such as Justin Moore, Craig Morgan, Heath Sanders, and many more. The money raised from the streams will go straight to helping veterans.
The official music video also features real combat footage, detailing the brutal reality of war, and the heroic actions of the medics in the field.
It’s an absolute gut-punch of a video… so be prepared.
