Who's behind this
One Army veteran, a day job, and no plan. Here's the honest version.
I started this because of my own shit, and the denial that went with it. Not all of it was the Army. A lot was what came after: years of shoving it down and never talking about it, and it only got heavier. I got ugly. Then I got better. Then I got uglier.
I did my time in the Army and came home to a regular life: a day job, two dogs, a house in the Chicago suburbs. Fine on paper. The songs come from the part that isn't on paper, mine and the other veterans I've sat next to, put into one song so more people can relate. You won't find whose story a song came from anywhere on this site. That's the rule for everybody.
Here's what I noticed when people heard them. A civilian listens and it's just another song. A veteran listens and you can see it land. That's the connection: we all know what we're not talking about. The VA has built real resources, and they matter. But sometimes it's veterans who need to help veterans.
I've sat in group with other veterans and watched the frustration on their faces, because they're lost. The whole point of this site is to reach them.
I didn't go in with a plan. It might fail. It won't make money, and I don't care about money. The music helps, and I don't know why. If it helps one person, it's worth doing.
I'm here for anybody who's willing to take the help. All I ask is that you share it. If it helped you, it might help somebody else.
Mark Tompkins
Army veteran. Founder, Phantom Soldier.
If any of that sounds like you: dial 988, then press 1.
Veterans Crisis Line. Text 838255. In an emergency, call 911.
You don't have to be in crisis to call. "I'm not doing great and I don't know who else to call" is reason enough.
Your turn, if you want it
Any branch, any era, any job you held. It costs nothing, you tell it your way, and your name is never on it.