3rd Annual Operation Song Retreat at Warrior Outreach

Fortson, GA  |  April 2017Nashville songwriters and local singer/songwriters joined forces again for the 3rd Annual event of “Operation Song” at Warrior Outreach 1-3 April. Operation Song has been hosted by Warrior Outreach Inc & Samuel M. Rhodes, Valley Hospitality and Nashville songwriter Bob Regan (Founderof Operation Song) whose dream is to help service people and their families heal through music for the last two years.The retreat “Operation Song” known as Warrior Outreach hosted will pair songwriters with service people/family member to write and create songs to “heal” their hearts which were then performed that night. Operation Song is an event where professional songwriters pair with selected veterans,active duty military, and their families to help them tell their stories through song. In just one day, the partners met and put together the pieces of each individual’s experience and arranged them into verses and choruses that were presented in a public concert on Saturday evening. The songs they wrote touched the hearts of all those in the audience as it gave every listener an opportunity to connect with Soldiers and their families through music. The words and melodies captured the many difficulties associated with combat in a way that left the entire listening audience humbled, teary-eyed, and speechless. Operation song was a successful mission for everyone who participated. The talent of the songwriters coupled with the bravery of Warriors and their families brought to life and immortalized stories that we can’t wait to hear and share in again.Retired Command Sergeant Major Samuel Rhodes, President and CEO of Warrior Outreach founded in 2008, hosted the event at his Warrior Outreach ranch in Fortson, GA. “I was amazed on how well the partnership worked over the last few years. It continue to bring lite to those who live through what it’s like to suffer from the memories of war-related trauma,” and that’s why he helped to organize the event again this year. “Warrior Outreach will leave NO stone unturned to help those that I can touch. Veterans come here all the time. They spend time with horses. Just like horses are healing, songs are another way to heal, and it’s a great partnership,” said Rhodes.On Friday April, 1 the songwriters, soldiers, family members, and the entire Warrior outreach will have a Ice breaker social and Music. “Friday will be an opportunity to allow them to get to know each other, meeting each other, and meeting the veterans who are going to be the participants here. Saturday we hit the ground running listening to their stories, and turning them into songs.”Sat evening a free concert will be available from1900-completion] Operation Song concert Warrior Outreach Ranch (Parking 6350 GA HWY 219 Fortson, GA and Antioch Baptist Church)“It’s extremely rewarding, “Bob Regan said “If you’re a commercial songwriter you say, I’m going to write that life changing song, which will change your bank account. But sometimes when you get with a soldier or their family or someone who’s suffered from war, you can write a song that will hopefully change their life.”“Sometimes it’s a story about their car, their truck, their girlfriend, their mom, their dad,” Don Goodman explained. “They get things out that they want to say to them, but they can’t. But when we get in there, playing the guitar, and get caught up in the music, they let go of demons that they’ve been carrying around for years. We just worked with a man who fought in Vietnam who let go of a demon he’d been carrying fifty years. He finally told another human being what was killing him. And from that day on, his life has changed, and that was more important to me than any number one song I’ve ever written.“I have no words to describe my appreciation for this weekend. It was well beyond any expectations I ever had. I am truly honored to have spent the time with all of you. I do hope our paths cross again in the near future. I am truly in debt to each of you for capturing my emotion that I locked away for so many years. With all my heart, THANK YOU,” SGM (Retired) Jeffery L. FransSource: Warrior Outreach