There really is nothing more important than to do right by our United States veterans. These armed service members put their lives on the line, and in some cases, sacrificed themselves so that the rest of us could enjoy our freedom.
That’s precisely why many blue-collar Americans have such a huge problem when Colin Kaepernick started the National Anthem kneeling movement because it was an embarrassing slap in the face to those that served with honor. They want to promote social justice? Great, they should do it on their own time and without disrespecting our national symbol.
And that’s probably why John Mayer just announced this amazing thing specifically for our veterans.
John Mayer is one of America’s great acoustic guitarists and vocalists.
You probably best know the seven-time Grammy Award-winning musician from Your Body is a Wonderland, Daughters and Waiting on the World to Change.
But when Mayer’s not making smash hits, he’s doing charitable work.
And recently he announced the launch of his foundation that’s specifically geared on improving the lives of veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder and the needs of women who serve.
His new “The Heart and Armor Foundation” is a multimillion dollar project that is designed to further underfunded scientific research for the purposes of dramatically improving their quality of life.
That’s an incredible gift.
He announced the project on Friday but this amazing project has been in the works for the last seven years.
Mayer justified why it took so long to announce it recently by saying, “We’re going to the public with things like published research papers and having raised enough money to really build some pilot programs. We have some really great data and … we want it to be working first so that a lot of the questions were answered before we brought things to people by way of awareness.”
That makes sense because PTSD is an issue that is still a complex issue for veterans returning from combat zones. Alleviating those symptoms is no easy task.
Mayer also said, “It was going to the wounded warrior barracks that I think changed me forever. It immediately showed me that my notion of what I think (are) the wounds of war are completely wrong. The way in which I was proven wrong was so compelling and fascinating and nuanced.”
He admitted that it was a harsh reality seeing how devastating PTSD can be and that’s the main reason why he started this foundation.
Mayer also said that his World War II veteran father played a big part in his multimillion-dollar effort as well.
The executive director of The Heart and Armor Foundation said, “I’ve been in meeting after meeting where people ask, ‘Where did you get the money to do this exercise study? Where’d you get the money?’ I’m like, ‘Well I’ll tell you.’ People are excited about it before I tell them John Mayer did it.”
So far, the foundation has published ten scientific peer-reviewed journals for exercise-based intervention on PTSD and a simple nutrition guide for the women who serve.
If you want to catch the amazing progress in motion, a live stream held this coming Friday on Mayer’s Facebook page chronicling “How War Changes Women, How Women Change War.”
Unfortunately, the celebrities who think to give back to our military members are few and far between.