Exclusive: Operation Song Director Shares How Helping Veterans Tell Their Stories Through Music Is Saving Lives and Blessing Families

“Our mission is to empower veterans and active duty service members and their families to tell their stories through the process of songwriting,” Operation Song executive director Mike Byer said Thursday on Breitbart News Daily, sharing powerful stories about how his Nashville-based organization is working with warriors and their families to share their stories through song.

Byer told host Mike Slater that the transformative nature of music has led many retired soldiers to find their way forward after their service and his Operation Song organization helps soldiers and their families heal and return to society and brings their stories and struggles to a worldwide audience.

“And we do that by pairing them one-on-one with professional songwriters. Many of the songwriters you’ve heard of. You know their songs on the radio, some great hits,” Byer explained. “Now they’re using their amazing talents and their skills to help us tell another story. And that’s the story of our service members and their families.”

Byer went on to explain that veterans sit down with Operation Song songwriters and staffers and simply talk out their life stories which the writers then turn into music.

“It’s nothing stressful. It’s not a counseling session by any means,” Byer added. “It’s not an attempt to try to elicit some story that they don’t want to talk about. They can tell any story they want. Write about anything they want. It’s a process by which we bring them in and the veteran becomes a songwriter that day. They sit down and the talent of the songwriter directs the conversation and molds their story into a verse and a chorus and a melody. And by the end of the day, they’ve got an incredible song that theirs to share and to solidify their legacy.”

Byer noted that they have created 2,700 songs since the organization launched in 2012. And he noted that he was also touched by Operation Song on a personal level.

I was a soldier for 21 years. I came back from Afghanistan and I went through this program when it was brand new. I was being medically retired from the Army at the time. I was a little bitter but it was just the way things worked out. My son was joining the Army at the same time. You talk about a difficult situation. I didn’t want him to join. I didn’t want him to be part of what I had done and seen. That was a struggle. When I went through the process, a retreat in Nashville, with Operation Song. We ended up writing a song about my son and I. It kind of became this passing of the torch moment of me retiring while he was taking up the flag and marching on with the family business. So for me that became this way for me to one kind of deal with the struggles being medically retired from the Army. But it also helped really repair the bond with my son and make it stronger.

LISTEN:

Breitbart · Mike Byer – December 18, 2025

Operation song also has a presence on social media at Instagram, Facebook, and on X.

Byer added that many other veterans have also had similar experiences.

“We’ve seen families reunited. We’ve soldiers who have attempted suicide and have come through this and they said ‘man, if it wasn’t for Operation Song I wouldn’t be here today,'” he said. “We’ve seen families, children’s wives, mothers, fathers that come up after hearing a song and say my family member never discussed or never talked about this but now that I hear this song, I understand this now.”

“One song, a veteran telling their story and hearing that one song can affect so many lives and change so many lives for the better,” he said. “And that’s one of the beautiful things about Operation Song. We’re very fortunate to do what we do and just honored to do it.”

“These stories deserve to be told. And we need to learn about these people and their heroics and their patriotism and their courage, Byer said.

Byer said that information can be found at Operationsong.org and it is free of charge to those veterans who want to participate.

You can hear our music on our website on bandcamp.com, and on YouTube.

“We’re so passionate about this mission and this organization,” Byer concluded. “That’s the most important thing. Getting the word out. Getting these stories out, so we can honors these veterans and their stories and let more people learn about them. This is the history that you’re not going to read in the books or see in movies. But it’s real history about real people who did great things. That’s our main message.”

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