Matthew Bills
SALUTE TO SERVICE
David, a veteran, holds an autographed guitar with a patriotic design.
By Brian Berk
For Veterans Suffering From PTSD,
MUSIC IS THE ANSWER
Music’s many benefits have long been touted in the pages of the Music & Sound Retailer, including as recently as January, when we published a feature story about how music has greatly benefited those in prisons. But one thing we have not highlighted is the tremendous positive affect music has on America’s military. We truly salute their service. But often, after returning home from combat, veterans must deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Success of treatments for PTSD can be spotty at best. But one thing that has helped soldiers deal with trauma is music. And at the forefront of helping members of the military suffering from PTSD is Patrick Nettesheim, co-founder of Guitars 4 Vets Inc., a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that strives to enhance the lives of wounded veterans by providing them with free guitars and music instruction. According to Guitars 4 Vets (also known as G4V), “Through self-expression and the healing power of music, it is our intent to restore the feelings of joy and purpose that can be lost after suffering trauma.” Nettesheim loved music from an early age and first became a guitar instructor at age 16. He also played in a band. “In my early 20s, I came to the realization that playing in a band in Milwaukee, Wis., was a dead end,” Nettesheim told the Music & Sound Retailer. “And then, after moving around the country, I realized playing in a band just about anywhere was a dead end because I wasn’t born into royalty. I did not have a celebrity parent, and I didn’t have the money to pay the people you need to get to. Bands do succeed the old-fashioned way, but it has been a little more difficult the last 30 years.” Guitars 4 Vets nearly never happened. In 2006, Nettesheim recalled playing in three bands while still teaching private guitar lessons. He received a call from a potential client, Dan Van Buskirk, about taking lessons, but Nettesheim did not call him back for a while. “A week went by, (continued on page 43)
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