Story Songs: Some Gave All

Billy Ray Cyrus's breakthrough song was the mega-hit "Achy Breaky Heart" in 1992. It was off his debut album, "Save Gave All," which sold more than 4 million copies worldwide.

"Some Gave All" is Cyrus's tribute to veterans. It was written by Cyrus and former wife, Cindy. While many folks dismissed "Achy Breaky Heart" as a silly ditty, "Some Gave All" is a thoughtful and moving tune about the sacrifices veterans have made for our nation. 

The song is about a fellow named Sandy Kane, who the narrator describes as a person that:

 "Few folks knew his name,  
But a hero was he
Left a boy, came back a man"

Sandy tells the narrator that we should never take for granted the price of freedom. While many have served in the military, like Sandy, many lost their lives for our country and other nations:

"All gave some and some gave all
And some stood through for the red, white and blue
And some had to fall
And if you ever think of me
Think of all your liberties and recall
Some gave all"

And Sandy's powerful parting words:

"And if you ever think of me
Think of all your liberties, yes recall
Some gave all"

This song makes me think of all the seemingly nameless men and women from all walks of life who have been willing to give their lives to protect our freedoms. They don't see themselves as heroes and or anyone special. They simply have a job to do, knowing that it may involve the ultimate sacrifice.

This post is dedicated to two high school friends who gave all in Vietnam -- Marshall Jones and James Huckleberry. I'm sure you have those in your life who gave all as well, so please remember them as well.

"Some Gave All" lyrics

Sad Statistics for Vets

I read a newspaper opinion piece I found to be disturbing and disheartening. The headline read: "Stop the suicides among our wounded warriors."

The article was written by John Roberts, executive vice president of the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization whose mission is to "honor and empower wounded warriors."

Roberts, who noted that he's also a wounded warrior, referred to a recent report from the Department of Veterans Affairs that found vets "are taking their own lives at a rate of 22 each day, or one suicide every 65 minutes." 

He also noted that there were more suicides among soldiers than combat deaths in 2012 -- 349 to 295.

As a citizen and a veteran, I find those figures to be totally unacceptable. These men and women are sent into harm's way for a variety of reasons, and then we leave many of them without the safety nets they need in their readjustment to normal life.

I recall stories about suicide rates in the National Football League, especially after the death of Junior Seau in 2012.  The NFL recently teamed with GE to look into developing a safer helmet to prevent and improved diagnosis of  traumatic brain injuries. They're spending $40 million on the project.

According to the Twilight Language blog, there have been 12 reported suicides in the past 25 years. 

That's not a misprint. Twelve in 25 years involving NFL players. And we're losing 22 vets EVERY DAY to suicide.

I'm not trying to diminish the deaths of those pro athletes. They left behind family, friends, and teammates.  And I'm glad that measures are being taken by the league to address the problem of head injuries.

What I'm saying is that vets also need our compassion and support. The mental battles for some don't end when they return home. And these vets --who are not high-profile athletes -- also have family, friends, and loved ones who care deeply about them.

As Roberts pointed out, post-traumatic stress syndrome and other "war-related mental health conditions can be successfully treated. It is my hope that we as a nation start to take this seriously."

Roberts closed by writing: "This is a problem for all of us and together we can help those who served our nation."

Amen.

Until the next time...