Josephine County Vets find joy in sharing music together

Music Program for Veterans Creates Community, Eliminates Isolation in Josephine County, Ore.

“It all started at a veterans’ art show in Josephine County, Ore. There wasn’t any music, so Lisa Pickart, the county’s veterans service officer, fetched a guitar from her car, came back and began to sing Down by the River. When she was done, Bob Eaton, a Vietnam War combat veteran, borrowed Pickart’s guitar and launched into My Ol’ Nam Hat, a song he wrote about his and other Vietnam vets’ experiences of coming home to less than a hero’s welcome.

“His voice just compelled you to listen to his story,” Pickart said recently. The encounter would inspire her to help create the county’s Veterans Music Outreach Program (VMOP). “Me and the director of the Vet Center, both of us were watching him, and we’re like, if we build it, they’re going to come.” The program provides an outlet for veterans to perform together — for those with musical experience — and an opportunity for newcomers to learn. It costs about $5,000 per year to run, largely funded by the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs, Pickart said. That helps to pay for a guitar teacher from a local music store, a keyboard, drums, books and “basic” recording equipment. Participants can also take voice lessons and learn how to write their own songs.”