Veterans Empowered Together (VET) partnered with the Bluegrass Music Academy in January to launch a new music therapy program, with a goal of recording one song per month with a different veteran or their family to share their story. Most recently, they connected with Brad Miller — the grandson of Kenneth Walton Miller, a member of the esteemed “Ghost Army.”
Due to the secretive nature of the missions Miller and his troops carried out, little was known about the Ghost Army until several decades after WWII.
Miller’s unit was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their heroic efforts. With just more than 1,100 men in the unit, Miller was one of the few remaining survivors when he died at 98 a little more than a year ago.
Brad was eager to tell his grandfather’s story, and Brian Basham with VET along with Randy Lanham with the Bluegrass Music Academy were eager to oblige.
“To see the turnout and response to this has been great,” Brad said. “Several people don’t know much about the Ghost Army because of its secretive nature. I’m glad I could pull the information together and have a role in writing the song. It turned out great.”
While Brad provided a plethora of information, Basham and Lanham collaborated with vocalist Dan Hall and Matt Gray of Gray Sky Music to write and produce the song. The group on Monday welcomed Miller’s wife Jenny Bell Miller, her son Bruce, and other friends and family to the Logsdon Community Center for a “first listen.”
“It was amazing. I can’t wait. I just can’t wait until it’s produced so we can get one and share it,” Jenny said. “He would be so proud. I can’t get over how good it was. It’s so nice to have people in the community wanting and willing to do things like this.”
Bruce echoed the same sentiment as his mother.
“For them to give of their time and to put this level of effort into it means so much,” Bruce said. “We definitely need more of this out there – spreading the word about what they did and what it means to us and our country. It’s just great that they’re doing this stuff.”
Despite only setting out to produce one song per month, Lanham and Basham have fallen so in love with the concept that they’ve produced eight. During that span, they’ve partnered with several local artists, including Andy Brasher, Drew Aud, Clint Campbell, James Elliott, Wayne Morris, Tommy Mullins, and Dan Hall.
“The program was an idea that music is its own therapy. Many veterans use music as a getaway,” Basham said. “We came together with the Bluegrass Music Academy to form a program that gives the veteran a way to tell their story through a song. They will have a song to be proud of for the rest of their lives.”
The concept immediately resonated with Lanham and aligned perfectly with the Bluegrass Music Academy’s mission.
“The Academy falls under the umbrella of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s educational programming,” Lanham said. “We want to do outreach, and with all that VET does, the partnership was a no-brainer. We both love to write music, and I think God has honored this project because we didn’t know what to expect.”
After witnessing the expression on the Miller’s face when hearing the song, Basham and Lanham both felt comfortable saying the initiative had been a success.
“Seeing the veterans’ and their families’ faces when they first hear the song – it’s a true expression of gratitude,” Lanham said. “To take their story and put a melody to it, it’s therapy for them and us, and it’s gratifying.”
