Crafting soldiers’ songs of pain — and yet hope
Songs of war and of friends who didn’t make it home might not seem like music to comfort struggling veterans. But a project to write songs using individual soldier’s combat experiences appears to help, according to a recent study, lessening the impact of trauma held too close for too long. Recalling his session with songwriter James House, Navy veteran John Oliveira, who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, said, “It was probably one of the most emotionally draining — and I want to say, physically and mentally draining as well — experiences, over that couple of hours that I sat with Jim and came up with this song. It’s just difficult stuff.” In September, Oliveira was one of 10 current and former service members who participated in a scientific trial of an innovative therapeutic program pioneered in 2011 by Texas-based singer/songwriter Darden Smith. The study, led by two Harvard Medical School (HMS) faculty members...