Healing through music
Island veteran preparing to release album, new federal investment means more could follow his lead
BONSHAW – In November, Dennis MacKenzie had a dream.
In it, he was with his friends at his house in Bonshaw. Friends who had died overseas. Friends who died of suicide after returning home.
They were in his backyard and he could see them and others stretched off into the distance, their clothes and the light-armoured vehicles all white. When he woke, it was the first real snowfall of winter and it was white as far as he could see.
It was a turning point for the veteran’s healing and the album he had planned, inspiring its name and title track, Guardian Angel Platoon. It was also a turning point in his outlook on death and his own trauma, which includes losing six friends to the same improvised explosive device (IED) blast on Easter Sunday, 2007.
Sitting on the deck overlooking his backyard on July 7, the 34-year-old — who was medically released from the Canadian Armed Forces in 2013 after serving a tour in Afghanistan as an infantry soldier — was lost in thought as a near-complete version of the song played on a portable speaker.
“That’s the first time I’ve actually listened to it out here where it took place,” he said. “It’s pretty surreal.”
GUITAR FOR VETS
An investment from Veterans Affairs Canada means more veterans will be able to learn to heal through music.
On July 5, Veterans Affairs announced $500,000 over two years to Guitars for Vets. As part of the non-profit charity Veterans Emergency Transition Services Canada, the program always had a simple goal, said co-founder Debbie Lowther.
“There’s not a lot of explaining to do. It’s putting guitars in the hands of veterans who are struggling and providing them with the lessons.”
Veterans participating in the program receive a new or gently used guitar for free along with 10 lessons.
Lowther started the organization with her husband Jim Lowther — a retired veteran
with 15 years of service — in 2010.
Jim found the guitar, which occupied his hands and mind fully, to be a valuable release, said Debbie.
“In fact, there’d be times I would actually say, ‘you should probably go pick up your guitar’.”
In early 2013, late 2014, a string of suicides among veterans and serving members greatly affected her husband and, knowing how much the guitar helped him, they thought it might be able to help others and the project grew from there.
The new funding will help with obtaining more guitars, incidental costs like storing and shipping, as well as staff wages and to pay instructors.
It also meant the organization could launch a crosscountry tour. At 10 locations, 10 veterans will participate in 10 sessions of group lessons.
It’s planned to come to P.E.I., though exactly when hasn’t been determined.
“It’s a little up in the air at this point, but it should be very soon,” Debbie said.
Though he has no affiliation with Guitars for Vets, MacKenzie said he thinks the investment is crucial.
“There’s a lot of great veteran programs that are out there and that are gaining funding and gaining momentum and that are helping, but I just cannot see anything more valuable than music programs at this point.”
MacKenzie, like many vets, has been trying to recover from his experiences of serving and dealing with the deaths of friends, he said.
“I couldn’t even try to guess the amount of different therapies I’ve tried for PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), moral injury, however we want to label what’s going on and nothing has consistently helped as much as music.”
It’s something his partner Meaghan Wilkie has noticed too.
“Since he’s dived into music, he has a new calmness about him,” she said. “His energy and presence is different and it’s inspiring to see.”
Not to discount other forms of treatment, but there’s something special about learning to play music you can’t get from attending a retreat, said MacKenzie.
“There’s not much you get to take home with you. Music you get to take home with you. It’s yours now. You now own music and you get to have that.”
MacKenzie’s album would have been a much different project without that healing experience in November, which brought him so much understanding, he said.
“This was them showing me their new path and they were on their way to go help a veteran who was in need right now.”
The album was made in collaboration with Island musician Dennis Ellsworth, who brought in some other musicians to help flesh out the songs and get everything recorded. They received some provincial funding and also had a successful Kickstarter for the album. Everything is recorded and being finalized for a release around Remembrance Day with a planned live show ahead of its release. MacKenzie hopes the album can act as bridge between vets and civilians, he said.