BILL BLOG
Monday August 12, 2024
Monday morning…everywhere you go. And the weather has turned for the better in Nashville. A high today of just 84. Feels nice to be outdoors again after the stifling heat we’ve had for so long.
THE WEEKEND
Friday I made a 4 and a half hour trip or so to Shiloh, Illinois with songwriters Steve Dean, Wil Nance, and Bill DiLuigi to write songs once again with veterans for Freedom Sings USA.
Friday evening we gathered at Klucker’s Hall in Shiloh to meet our veterans.
And they provided a great barbecue dinner with dessert on patriotic plates no less.
After dinner we each sang a couple of songs and one of mine was the song “Let Me Shake Your Hand” that I wrote inspired by my purple heart recipient fan Brent Burns. The song talks about some of the guilt I’ve felt not having to go to Viet Nam like Brent did simply because I was college exempt at the time.
After our songwriter round completed not one but THREE veterans approached me and passionately told me to NOT feel guilty about that. One, a purple heart recipient himself who teaches some military classes at my old alma mater Central Missouri State University (what are the odds?) almost moved me to tears with his heartfelt words. He felt like there was a reason I did not have to go, and that it might be because I lived to write song with veterans and tell their stories.
I’d never ever thought of it that way before. And I so appreciated how passionate he was about his thoughts. It was truly one of the more moving conversations I’ve had with a veteran.
SATURDAY
My veteran was Frank Hagelstein who served in Korea in intelligence. When I asked him what he did he told me that if he told me he’d have to kill me. Sworn to secrecy. One of those kind of jobs.
While telling me his story he talked about 3 things that he’ll always remember about serving in the little village where they shot the TV show M*A*S*H. And that was the smell (from the burn pits) and the extreme cold and heat. That turned out to be the name of his song “The Smell, The Cold And The Heat”.
The one souvenir he brought home was a pink piece of paper that the enemy dropped from a plane. Written in North Korean, it was a propaganda sheet. And he brought it Saturday night when I sang it to a packed outdoor pavilion of patriots on a beautiful evening in Shiloh, Illinois.
Here’s one verse of his song.
A pink piece of paper came floating from the sky
North Korean propaganda full of lies
Brought home that souvenir
But my lasting memory
Is the smell, the cold and the heat
5 songs in all were written. Each veteran was recognized and honored. And part of my second family were on hand…Dodge Raymer and his daughter Stacey making the evening even more memorable. Thank you Shiloh for a great red, white and blue weekend!
GIFT IN
THE MAIL
When I got home this nice little gift was waiting in the mailbox for me.
It’s the brand new Troy Engle record I’ve been blogging about that has 3 songs I helped Troy write. I thought there were only two…the title track “Back Home” and the current single “Never Too Lost” that’s been a number one song on the Bluegrass Gospel Chart, but had total forgotten that the song “There’s Always A Road” is also in this! Now that’s truly a nice surprise. I glad to see the attention this is garnering for my talented friend…and I surely happy for these songs we wrote together! You can buy a copy anywhere you buy your music…and I hope you will.
ALSO WHEN I GOT HOME
My wife Kathy showed me this little snapshot of our back yard from while I was in Illinois over the weekend. And it’s too early for Thanksgiving!
SHOW THIS WEEK
I’ve got a show in Tullahoma, Tennessee with my friends Linda Davis and her husband Lang Scott. We’ll be playing at the South Jackson Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. It’s our first of several show together that stretch out into March of 2025…and I’m certainly looking forward to sharing the stage again with my two talented friends. Come see us if we get near you!
HEALTH NOTES
A nasal spray alternative to EpiPen has been approved now by the FDA.
Measle cases have now more than tripled this year.
Candy sold at Target, Walmart, and Dollar General has been recalled because of a salmonella threat. The candy is from the Palmer Company…their “white coated” confectionary items.
FUNNY SIGN
SPIES
Now comes word that those robot vacuum cleaners can be hacked and allowing the hackers to see inside your house. Geez. Now that sucks…literally!
OLYMPICS
Once again I wound up watching more of the Olympics than I thought I would. The USA took home the most medals and there were lots of exciting moments. Stephen Curry’s 3 point shooting barrage against the team from France was just mind blowing to watch as the American’s came from behind to take the gold medal home for men’s basketball. Pull that up if you haven’t seen it.
And the Paris Olympics saved one last catch your breath moment last night at the Closing Ceremonies when Tom Cruise did a very Tom Cruise kind of thing and leapedfrom the top of the stadium, down to the field, took the Olympic flag and jumped on a motorcycle. The next Olympics will be in Los Angeles…and Tom will deliver the flag there.
HEADLINE OF THE DAY
Museum of Ice Cream Sued After Man Breaks Ankle in Sprinkle Pit. (You can’t make that stuff up folks.)
TODAY
This afternoon I’m in a songwriting room with Steve Dean and the talented Lauren Mascitti. The first time for the three of us rhyming together. Should be great fun.
Have a great Monday.
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