Mother Hopes Music Will Help Soldiers In Iraq
Prepared for cbs4denver.com by Matthew J. Buettner, Web Producer
7/15/07
An Aurora woman is hoping the gift of music will help troops serving in Iraq get through the stress of war by sending guitars to them.
Edith Lemaster’s son served in Iraq, so she knows firsthand the impact war has on the men and women fighting overseas and when they return home.
“We need to show them that we care,” Lemaster said. “We need to show them our gratitude.”
Lemaster said playing guitar helped her son get by during tough times in Iraq, so she decided to start sending guitars to other soldiers in Iraq.
“When you’re playing guitar, your mind is encompassed and you’re not noticing that the mortars rattled the building all day long,” Lemaster said.
Lemaster has formed an organization called Grateful Nation. They are collecting donated guitars with the help of the Denver Musician’s Association and the American Legion.
“Some are just instruments that have just been lying around the house,” Pete Vriesenga with the Denver Musicians Association said. “Some are prized family collections.”
From Denver, the American Legion will ship them out to soldiers overseas.
“To have an instrument in your hands and just turn that fear or boredom into productive creation of music is really what this is about,” Vriesenga said.
Grateful Nation has received 75 guitars. As it grows, Lemaster envisions guitars also going to soldiers who are trying to recover from long-term injuries.
Additional Resources
If you’re interested in donating a guitar or another musical instrument to a soldier serving overseas or in a rehabilitation hospital, contact the American Legion Post #1 at (303) 757-1919 or the Denver Musicians Association at (303) 573-1717. They will also accept monetary donations and it is all tax deductible. You can also contact the organizations if you would like an instrument to be sent to a specific soldier.
American Legion Post #1
5400 East Yale
Denver, CO 80222
Drop off instruments here:
Denver Musicians Association
1165 Delaware Street
Denver, CO 80204
(303) 573-1717
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