CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The Veteran Crisis Hotline said they have seen an increase in calls since the capital of Afghanistan collapsed Sunday. A Chattanooga-based nonprofit is working to help veterans triggered from the trauma through music.
Freedom Sings USA helps veterans cope by talking through their traumas and putting those experiences into a song. The non-profit has songwriters who hold classes with veterans across the country. They have helped hundreds cope with tragedies in a healthy way.
As Kabul fell over the weekend, veterans relived traumas they experienced during combat. It can eat away at their mind and send them into a dark hole of depression and anxiety.
"The VA suicide hotlines are up 4% already in the last two days and they're climbing," said Donovan Chapman with Freedom Sings USA.
Donovan Chapman is a combat veteran. Memories of combat and the loss of friends have been circling in his mind all week.
"We've all in para-rescue and special operations took hard losses on our teams working in Afghanistan,” Chapman said.
Chapman now serves as a Special Operations Veterans Class leader with the Chattanooga-based nonprofit.
"Now we have to work and do our job to keep as many veterans from falling into the dark pit of PTSD and committing suicide,” Chapman said.
They hold classes over Zoom and travel around the country to listen to veterans tell their stories of tragedy and loss.
"It just removes the story from their head, so that they can see it and let it go in a beautiful way,” Chapman said.
Chapman says it's therapeutic and the sessions and songs have saved lives. Freedom Sings USA is expecting to put a lot more songs out, as the veterans share stories, following the collapse of Afghanistan's capital.
"We shed tears, we let them talk,” Chapman said. "It gives them release. They're not a victim of what they put down.”
The Veteran Crisis Hotline is free and anonymous. You can reach it by calling 1-800-273-8255, then press '1.'
If you are a veteran looking to connect with Freedom Sings USA, visit the nonprofit's website and they will get you in a class or connected with a leader.