Riverside: Vet’s Song About Military Families Takes Flight
Ted Peterson isnt sure if hell be sick or if hell shine.
On Thursday, the Riverside resident and fledgling songwriter will be sitting on a White House panel that includes country singer Willie Nelson and hip-hop artist Common. Hosted by Michelle Obama, the group will discuss the role of music in the military.
Im ready to vomit Im so nervous, said Peterson, 44. If it was up to me, I would not be up there on that stage.
Hes on the stage because he wrote When Blue Stars Turn to Gold, a country-oriented song about the sacrifice of military families. The song caught some fire on YouTube recently and grabbed the attention of the panels organizers. Its the first song he has composed in his short writing career that has been recorded.
Peterson, who is connected with the Guitars For Vets music therapy group at Loma Lindas VA Medical Center, doesnt even play a musical instrument. He came to songwriting in a roundabout way.
A Navy veteran with active duty from 1989-1993 and later the reserves, from 2002-2007, Peterson also worked for 15 years for Camp Pendletons base security. Some long-term physical problems caught up with him and he was forced to leave his security job. He had no idea what to do with his life.
I hit a depression, a pretty bad one, said Peterson, 44, of Riverside. A Vietnam veteran whos a friend of mine pulled me aside and said, Whats going on with you? He made me promise that I would go and talk to someone. So I did.
It may have been the best advice he ever received.
Counseling led him to music therapy and Guitars for Vets. He began writing songs, mostly as an emotional outlet. He was on his couch at 2 a.m. one morning when he wrote down the lyrics for When Blue Stars Turn to Gold.
Military families often hang a blue star in a front window of their homes. The song tells the story of a military family that loses a son to war. When that happens, the blue star is replaced with a gold one.
I didnt think, I have this great song on my hands, he said. I folded it up and put it in the desk.
His wife, Tasha, found it. He remembers standing in front of her feeling awkward as she read it. She encouraged him to do something more with it.
I begged, borrowed and stole to get to a writing workshop in Texas, he said, and I connected with the right people.
Some more seasoned artists helped him polish it. He mounted a crowdfunding campaign and raised enough money to have it recorded in Nashville.
At first, he was concerned about how gold star families might react to the song. But he began to receive supportive notes from all over the country, he said. He has even been approached at some recent public events he has attended in which the song was played. One of those was in La Verne.
This lady came up bawling, doesnt even know me and gave me this big bear hug, he said. Her husband is right behind her and hes crying. Thats when I realized, Wow, this is deep.
Its the wildest thing. You see these big burly Vietnam vets with long beards and theyre wiping tears from their eyes. Its so incredibly humbling.
Peterson said the only negative aspect of the experience has been occasionally standing in the spotlight, where he is uncomfortable. His goal, he said, is to bring attention to military families and provide support.
He said he has organized fundraising events through the local American Legion and is trying to provide some veterans services through a local church.
If we can just make one family of the fallen feel better, its all worth it, he said.
His emotional commitment is even stronger these days. His oldest son recently joined the Navy and is in special operations. Now it hits home, he said. Im a blue star parent. Its a different ballgame.
Peterson said he hopes to keep working with Guitars for Vets. He wants to learn to play.
Darnell Fall, a Vietnam veteran, heads the group.
Hes on the wait list, Fall said of Peterson, adding that even though hes not yet playing the guitar, he has made an impact on the group.
Recently, the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles began a songwriting project with the Loma Linda guitar group.
Because (Peterson) was so strongly recommended by one of our instructors, we said for the songwriting project he had to be invited, Fall said.
Petersons success, he said, has inspired the group. Guitars for Vets members who resisted before are now writing songs.
Officials at the Grammy Museum helped put together the White House panel. In addition to Peterson, Fall and four other veterans from the guitar group traveled to the event.
Peterson said he wont be able to think about that until the worries of the panel are past him.
Id be lying if I said Im not scared, he said. But Im just going to try to enjoy the ride.
And maybe hell even take advantage of it.
It would be nice to nudge Willie up on stage if I dont throw up first and say, Sir, would you like to record your one-millionth hit song?
Tags: Veterans News
