Terri Quinlan

My connection with Operation Song began with inspiration from an individual who worked a crisis call-line at Long Beach VA. In a Coalition meeting in October 2024 he said “I guarantee that every single day in a VA parking lot, there is a veteran sitting in his or her car contemplating suicide.” His words resonated with me and clearly his message prompted me to ask…”What can I do?”
Around that same time, my song-writing friend Steven McClintock had connected with Operation Song at a veteran retreat in Bandera, Texas, where Steven spent a day with a veteran listening to a veteran tell his story and then turning that story into a song. Operation song matches a professional singer-songwriter with a Veteran who may be dealing with PTSD, Mental Health, suicidal thoughts, and /or substance use issues. The veteran tells his or her story, then a song is written within 2-3 hours, recorded, and played back to the participating veterans. That's when "the light shines in the veteran's eyes). It is this process that leads to a miracle transformation and healing thru the Power of Music. There are 2700 songs in the Operation Song library now streaming on the Bandcamp App. The music lives on to benefit veterans and their families with each Operation Song Retreat.

This unique song writing process is known to heal and transform troubled veterans. …“Bringing them back one song at a time!” These words are Operation Song’s mantra! Veterans participate for free. Funding to pay for full these day retreats continues as I strive to expand Operation Song in Southern California and beyond.