Guitars for wounded Vets. Can you help out?

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Permalink Reply by Jim Weiland on March 30, 2009 at 8:35pm

I am planning on donating a 214 Taylor soon. I just got it back from loaning it to a kid learning how to play. This is a great group from what I can tell.

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Permalink Reply by Dano & Trish Franco on April 3, 2009 at 5:07pm

I just saw this Spot....what a great idea the co-founders came up with. I'm gonna check this out some more and decide which acoustic I have to donate. The Vets don't need the "junkie stuff" either....meaning a donation should at a minimum, be a decent playable guitar....regardless of the price range. I'm somewhat surprised you haven't gotten more responses....maybe, like me, folks haven't seen your posted discussion. I'm not a Vet, but I have 3 brothers who are and accordingly, I have some sense of how they feel about their service time.

Thanks for bringing up this new innovative idea and sharing it. If anybody should have some sense of how learning to play or having years of playing experience invokes a pleasure of creating music, surely ..this community should be the most understandnig folks in the world.....and many are as you, Vets themselves.

You did good Spot......now the rest of us need to decide how we feel about our love of playing and what we can do to encourage and help any Vet who wants to pursue the same paths we traveled. Like my wife says when I get the urge to buy another guitar....."Honey, you can only play one at a time"......but she also understands the excitement of gear acquisition......kinda like buying shoes/purses...eh?

So, if you're reading this Mr. Dan Gabel, how about the "big dogs" at AG, ya guys and gals have anything to offer?

Best wishes.

Dano

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Permalink Reply by Aaron on July 27, 2009 at 9:34pm

Thank you Dano, for your encouragement!

I am a US Army veteran and volunteer guitar teacher at the Milwaukee WI VA Hospital with the Guitars For Vets organization. We certainly appreciate your interest in helping to heal our wounded heroes through guitar instruction.

Aaron

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Permalink Reply by Spot on April 3, 2009 at 6:58pm

Jim- Thanx for checking it out and your donation. These guys are doing great things for great people. I hope you will help spread the word to fellow guitar players. Donating a Taylor is huge! Thanx again.

Dano- I have received nothing but positive replies from everyone I talk to. They love it. I was speaking to a lady at work and she was moved to tears. She felt this idea gave in a way that money can't. It gives to the soul of the injured Vet. You rock dude! Thanx for your donation. Spread the word if you will.

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Permalink Reply by Aaron on July 27, 2009 at 9:43pm

Thank you for your support Jim!

We at Guitars For Vets operate strictly on donations and we have no paid staff. Our Web site is www.guitarsforvets.org and we appreciate your kind donation.

Aaron
US Army Infanty/Scout
Volunteer guitar teacher

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Permalink Reply by Spot on April 5, 2009 at 8:35am

I shipped out my Ibanez to the guys at Guitars for Vets yesterday. It was a very weird experience. Kind of emotional. Almost like sending a kid to college. I will miss the Ibanez but I know it will go on to bigger and better things instead of just being a dust collecting beauty sitting in the corner. I rarely played it after buying my Seagull Mini Jumbo. I hope it finds a good home. I am sure it will. Hats off to all those who donated guitars or money. These guys will accept crappy old guitars and repair or recondition them in order to give the Veteran a quality instrument. Not all have left comments but the reaction to my post was quite impressive. Y'all really came through. Thanx again.

http://www.guitarsforvets.org/home.html

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Permalink Reply by Aaron on July 27, 2009 at 9:45pm

Spot, thank you very much for your Ibanez guitar donation. Your guitar is in a very good "college" and will be earning a degree in music therapy.

Aaron
US Army Infantry/Scout
Volunteer guitar teacher

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Permalink Reply by Ray on April 6, 2009 at 3:50pm

I probably should ask this question to the guitars for vets site directly, but I would be willing to donate some personal time to help a vet learn in addition to a guitar. I am a Vietnam vet and I understand how difficult the road back can be.

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Permalink Reply by Aaron on July 27, 2009 at 9:49pm

Hello RLV,

Thank you for your service to our country!!!

Yes, if you would like to volunteer as a guitar teacher for our Guitars For Vets organization you can email our President Dan, or our Vice President Patrick at our contacts page at:
http://www.guitarsforvets.org/contact.html

We hope to hear from you soon!

Aaron
US Army Infantry/Scout
Volunteer guitar teacher

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Permalink Reply by FoxyMoxy on April 17, 2009 at 7:42pm

Semper Fi & Welcome Home to all vets!!!

Spot, yer' thread caught my eye and I just wanted to give my support.

I've been a member here & there (main forum at AG etc) for about 5 years or so and won't agonize you here with my redundant recent hardships but suffice it to say that the VA is "helping" me too...

Thanks for your dedication brother!

FX

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Permalink Reply by Spot on April 18, 2009 at 5:42am

Thanx Foxy
With the help the VA dishes out who needs enemy combatants? (Feeble attempt at humor)

When I shipped the guitar out at the local pak-n-ship the lady who worked there offered to pack the guitar for free after seeing whom the guitar was destined for. I sent the guitar in its hard case but it needed to be put in a better shipping carton and I think it took her about an hour. It was her small way of saying thanx.

Thanx for your support. Spreading the word helps immensely.

Semper Fi

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Permalink Reply by Spot on April 18, 2009 at 7:03am

rlv- Thanx. The camaraderie we find in the military never leaves us does it? It reaches across all branches of the military and is something we have in our souls until the day we die. Good to hear from so many Vets. I found out that these guys wander the halls of the VA hospital and just sit down and play for the most severely wounded. If you peruse the pics on the website you will see them playing for severely injured Vets in their rooms. Kind of a tear jerker but re-establishes my devotion to helping these guys out. Thanx again for your donation.

rlv said:

I probably should ask this question to the guitars for vets site directly, but I would be willing to donate some personal time to help a vet learn in addition to a guitar. I am a Vietnam vet and I understand how difficult the road back can be.

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