Written by Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient Tim Johanssen and his mentor Charlie Merrit alongside songwriters Brian White and Willie Shaw, the song tells the harrowing story of Johanssen’s experience while on tour in Iraq, detailing the tragic events that led to him becoming a bilateral leg amputee and revealing his true source of strength throughout his recovery — his wife and two boys. Creating this moving track also served as a therapeutic outlet for Johanssen, as it was written during one of CreatiVets’ lauded songwriting programs, which pair combat veterans with songwriters in Nashville to help them learn to use music as a form of therapy.
“Every time I get in the room with someone from Creativets, it’s an inspiring time,” explains Brian White. “Tim’s transparency and his willingness to let us dive into his story during our session made it easy to write this one. Music is a wonderful tool to help people heal and get through things in their lives. When you partner the mission of Creativets with a heart and soul of a soldier, the outcome is always moving. This song is a prime example of that.”
Founded in 2013, CreatiVets has helped more than 1,000 combat veterans — with more than 500 veterans participating in its songwriting programs to date. Serving as a connector for opportunities that magnify CreatiVets within the entertainment space, Big Machine Label Group continues to contribute to CreatiVets’ operational initiatives through Scott and Sandi Borchetta‘s Music Has Value Fund and through Big Machine Music, which serves as the co-publisher for CreatiVets.
To learn more about CreatiVets, please visit creativets.org.