[stylist] Feedback request please

Brad Dunse' lists at braddunsemusic.com
Sun Oct 30 18:38:15 UTC 2011 

Thanks Barbara. There are many similarities with 
current  wars we're involved in, but I don't 
think we'll socially allow  patriotic betrayal towards the soldiers again.

Brad


On 10/30/2011  07:48 AM Barbara Hammel said...
>Thanks, Brad.  That time it worked.  That is a 
>beautiful song! But, wow!  If I could sort out 
>and write down all the mixed emotions.  I'm too 
>young for Vietnam and it was too recent to be 
>taught about in Social Studies classes but I 
>have two uncles that served--my father's sight 
>kept him out, too (nystagmus did it, I'll 
>bet)--and one who talk about it and the other 
>was wounded and wouldn't.  I have never sat and 
>talked to the one who talks but I've read enough 
>things to feel such animosity toward those who 
>treated the soldiers so poorly when they came 
>home.  You can hate a war, but when your 
>government sends folks to fight for what it 
>thinks are causes to fight, how can you hate 
>those doing what they were told. It seems like 
>songwriters get this.  Current wars will have 
>just as much conflicting history one day and yet 
>I've not heard a negative song. Thank you for 
>sharing this beautiful thought put to music. 
>Barbara Let every nation know whether it wishes 
>us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, 
>bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any 
>friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the 
>survival and the success of liberty.--John F. 
>Kennedy -----Original Message----- From: Brad 
>Dunse' Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2011 10:24 PM 
>To: Writer's Division Mailing List Subject: Re: 
>[stylist] Feedback request please Barbara, Try 
>either 
><http://www.braddunsemusic.com/music-45.html>clicking 
>this link or going to: 
>http://www.braddunsemusic.com/music-45.html And 
>then scroll down to find the link to play the 
>MP3 in either hi fi or low fi Thanks. Brad On 
>10/29/2011  08:41 PM Barbara Hammel said... >I 
>liked it.  I couldn't access the links, 
>though.  I want to hear that >song. Barbara Let 
>every nation know whether it wishes us well or 
>ill, that >we shall pay any price, bear any 
>burden, meet any hardship, support any >friend, 
>oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival 
>and the success of >liberty.--John F. Kennedy 
>-----Original Message----- From: Brad 
>Dunse' >Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2011 6:30 PM 
>To: Writer's Division Mailing List >Subject: 
>[stylist] Feedback request please Feedback of 
>any willing sort is >welcome :). Pasted from 
>Word so for me carriage returns "look" extra but 
>I >don't think they  actually appear as such 
>visually, not sure though. >Vietnam Memorial 
>Wall With gear hanging over both shoulders, 
>canvas >pack-straps and their buckles digging in 
>my sweat-drenched skin, nervous >fingers on both 
>hands re-gripping their assigned provisions 
>every ten >steps, I huffed my way through the 
>crowds of uniformed soldiers. Picking my >way 
>across the grounds into a slightly wooded area, 
>I finally was able to >drop my bags with a deep 
>sigh, flex my shoulders, and stretch my back 
>a >bit. The tree allowed a shady escape from the 
>baking sun. Mid-morning temps >were already in 
>the 80’s with matching humidity­they said 
>id it would be >like this­; and the mercury 
>was meant to reach into the 90̢۪s 
>today. >Under the cover of sf shade, I took in 
>the action around me; and in amazement, >I began 
>to wonder what the day might look like in 
>hindsight. A bit nervous >of what to expect, I 
>mean the sight of battle experienced Vietnam 
>soldiers >walking about, and my taking part in 
>something like this 
, I knew I woould >have a 
>new friend  or two by days end. Looking about, I 
>wondered which one >of the many souls out there 
>would become my new friend. Finally, two 
>gents >approached asking if I was who I was. 
>Once I affirmed it, we shook hands, >chatted a 
>minute, and opened up our packs. I sat down on a 
>stool, opened up >a case, and started fiddling 
>around with my guitar a bit. No, I wasn̢۪t 
>in >a >a base camp located in Vietnam, I was on 
>the State Capitol grounds in St. >Paul, 
>Minnesota; at a kickoff event for what the 
>governor of Minnesota >declared as Vietnam Day. 
>So why was I there? It wasn̢۪t because I 
>served a  a >tour in Vietnam, I was born about a 
>decade and a half too late for that. >Besides my 
>age (though I probably didn̢۪t know it at 
>18-years old), there >was a heredieditary 
>disease slowly scattering throughout my retinas 
>affecting >my peripheral and night vision which 
>likely would have sent me back 4F, >preventing 
>me from serving in the military. If that would 
>have not stopped >my being shipped out, 
>eventually from mere survival of the fittest, 
>some >Asian would have carved my name in the 
>Memorial Wall with the business end >of his 
>weapon. So just exactly what was I doing there 
>at Vietnam Day? I was >invited by a grass roots 
>effort to come and play some music, sort 
>of >1960̢۪s protest style, only we weren̢۪t 
>p¬â„¢t protesting, we were joining 
>the >proclamation and recognition of the brave 
>men and women who served in >Vietnam. A 
>compilation CD of Vietnam songs designed to help 
>heal emotional >wounds, and not let the world 
>forget what suffering went on back then 
>was >released, and a song I co-wrote was picked 
>as the featured song for the CD. >The song I 
>wrote with two other writers is called “The 
>WaWall.â€Â The folks >that put on the 
>compilation projecct wanted me to come out and 
>play some >music, and of course play the 
>featured song on the CD. So we set up the >small 
>gear out on the large grounds of the celebration 
>and started playing >tunes. We played for 
>children, fellow musicians, curious event 
>attendees, >friends and families of soldiers who 
>stopped to listen, and then they came. >One of 
>the gentlemen who invited me rounded the corner 
>with a group of Viet >Vets, metals they earned 
>clinking as they milled about and then he 
>said, >“Brad, whwhy don’t you play your 
>song for these gentlemen?ââ” I will 
>tell >you, I̢۪ve played for many peoplople at 
>my gigs, but never had I been this >nervous. I 
>stared out with what vision I could muster, and 
>saw these >amazing souls standing before me, who 
>all but a handful of decades ago were >scared, 
>brave young men watching their buddies tore 
>apart right next to >them in fox holes, on the 
>battle field, and riding in jeeps they 
>drove; >facing unknown emotional battles of 
>uncertainty whether the local people >there 
>approaching them, men, women or children all 
>equal in ability; were >allies of safety, or 
>enemies about to cut them down. But here they 
>were, >standing anxiously, staring at me, 
>wanting to hear the song we̢۪d written >for 
>them and their buddies; and me de desperately 
>hoping we had gotten what >they felt inside, 
>right. I swallowed hard and slow, strummed a few 
>strums >on my guitar to anchor myself a bit, and 
>started to sing: When you were >searching for my 
>name today I saw you standing there Man you look 
>different >With that silver in your hair Me, I 
>haven̢۪t changed a bit Still all ol 
>of >twenty-one That̢۪s the thing about us 
>spirits Ws We̢۪re forever young At the >wall 
>
, here at the  the wall Mid-way through the 
>song, withh a quivering lip >and doubts I could 
>even make it all the way through without choking 
>up, I >began to feel a reverence for these men 
>stronger than ever before; men who >endured not 
>only a very different battle out on the field 
>and in the >jungle, but also that unexpected one 
>of betrayal soon after the planes >wheels 
>screeched the tarmac of home. I don‬™t think 
>one strand of my hair >laid flat the entire 
>llength of the song, but I did make it through 
>to the >end. When finished, I was immediately 
>swarmed with soldiers shaking my hand >60̢۪s 
>style, patting me on the ba back and profusely 
>thanking me for writing >the song. All the while 
>it was me declaring indeed it was I who owe 
>them >thanks, and it̢۪s only a shame that the 
>song ha had to be written at all. >That was one 
>of the, if not the, most nervous experience 
>I̢۪d ever had >playing fg for anyone. Prior to 
>“The Wallâ€Â being written,ten, I had 
>been >thinking pretty heavy on writing a song 
>about Vietnam. Considering it, I >had decided 
>what better topic to write on than the wall, 
>maybe the >Traveling Wall? I̢۪d went back up 
>on the National Memorial websibsite, and >spent 
>hours up there reading profile entries that 
>folks left for their >loved ones. There were old 
>goodbyes and present tense conversations: 
>words >from old high school buddies, family 
>members keeping up a vigil, >neighborhood 
>friends who popped in after thinking about them, 
>school >teachers who wrote shortly after the 
>news, and of course those uniquely >bonded souls 
>who served with them in the war 
; excuse me 
, 
>“police ce > ce >action.â€Â Reading the 
>entries was nearly an addictioon for me, I 
>couldn̢۪t >help myself. I was up on th their 
>site before dinner time, and finally 
>hunger >coupled with drooping eyes pulled me off 
>when the sun popped up the next >morning. After 
>spending the night reading droves of profiles of 
>21-year >olds who never came back, I so much 
>wanted to write a song about Vietnam >and the 
>wall now more than ever. About a week and a half 
>from that day, >having knocked around some ideas 
>for a song, I open up my email and see 
>a >message from my writing pal. Unbeknown to 
>him, or anyone really as I had >not told anyone 
>I̢۪d been drawn to write such a song, other 
>than an maybe my >wife, I opened up a message 
>from him wanting to know if I want in on a 
>song >about the Vietnam Wall and the soldiers. 
>Naturally I was surprised and said >sure and a 
>few days later we had what is the current 
>version of The Wall. I >often wonder, after 
>nearly two weeks of milling it around, surfing 
>the web, >staying up all night mesmerized by 
>what I was reading, putting myself in >the shoes 
>of those kids and their surviving families, not 
>saying anything >to anyone about my desire to 
>write such a song about the Vietnam Wall, 
>and >then to be approached with this 
>opportunity? ­I don’t know­is ts that 
>just >a simple coincidence? Or could there have 
>been more to it than that? The >Wall has been 
>played at a variety of places ranging from major 
>commercial >country radio, to web stations, to 
>memorial ceremonies, to my own gigs; and >I am 
>very humbled it will be performed by a youth 
>band raising brows up and >down the east coast, 
>as they play it as part of their invitation to 
>perform >at the National Memorial event in 
>Washington DC this Veterans Day on >November 11. 
><http://www.braddunsemusic.com/music-45.html>Hear 
>  the song in >it̢۪s entirety and rd read the 
>lyrics 
>at: ><http://www.braddunsemusic.com/music-45.html 
> >http://www.braddunsemusic.com/music-45.html >Br 
>ad Dunse "The naive believes everything, But the 
>sensible man considers >his steps." --Proverbs 
>http://www.braddunsemusic.com >http://www.faceboo 
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Brad Dunse

"The naive believes everything, But the sensible 
man considers his steps." --Proverbs

http://www.braddunsemusic.com

http://www.facebook.com/braddunse

http://www.twitter.com/braddunse

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