(Interview with Jeremy)
What drew you to joining the military.
“I knew, from a young age, that I wanted to join the military, having always felt a sense of pride in my country and a sense of duty to serve. Honestly I joined the Corps, in particular, because I thought their uniforms were pretty cool.”
What was your experience while over seas?
“Being overseas really sucked. The food was terrible, the women were terrible, and pretty much everyone was trying to kill us….including the women. Really it was 99% boredom, and 1% sheer terror. We would spend days not seeing anything, and then find 8 or 9 IED’s in one day.”
How were you injured?
“I was hit by a suicide bomber on 12/22/04 and broke my back in 3 places, got 3rd degree burns, had my arm torn apart, had shrapnel wounds to both legs, broke 4 ribs and had a collapsed lung.”
What were some of the hardships you faced once you were back stateside adjusting back to "normal" life?
“I was pretty much treated like shit by everyone. I was flown into O’hare airport, which is 4 hours away from home, with no wallet, no phone, and no idea what to do. Everyone else had these big welcome home deals….I wasn’t given a uniform to go home in (they gave me a Tampa Bay sweat shirt and black sweat pants that were used), was wheeled into the airport and told “good luck” I am still really bitter about the fact that literally everyone had this huge welcome home party while I was made to cook burgers at my units welcome home party later in the year.”
What were some of your expectations when going to Nashville? Do you feel that they were met?
“I really didn’t know what to expect when I was going down there. I am not artistic, and really don’t like country music. Richie met me down there and immediately put me at ease. I hung out with some really cool people and made a song that I am extremely proud of. It even changed my taste in music a little bit, as I listen to country every now and again.”
What was your experience while in Nashville with the writers? Explain a little of the process.
“I was introduced on the first day while in the recording studio, and when we went to lunch. They were a little rushed, but introduced themselves and were just great people. When we were writing the listened to everything I had to say and turned my story into a badass song!”
Did you ever think you would have the opportunity to have a song wrote on your experiences overseas for others to hear?
“I honestly never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever go to Nashville, meet some amazing artists, and make an awesome song. It was a GREAT experience.”
How do you think this experience has changed your life.
“I have definitely been a lot happier since the writing session. It showed me a different way to express myself and got a lot of pain off my chest. It was good to see that I was not alone in this as well, Richie had a lot in common with what I have gone through and is truly a good person.”
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