On Aug. 8, country music artist Ricky Lee will host a concert to benefit veterans. The event is part of his Music-4-R-Vets campaign, a program Lee designed to demonstrate the healing power and therapeutic benefits of music for veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. On his website, Lee defined music as "a mind altering noise with the potential to induce joy, happiness, memories, bliss, merriment and mirth."
Not only does the artist understand the ability of music to help veterans, but many of his songs are written specifically with returned servicemembers in mind. Some popular titles include "Welcome Home" and "She's an American Soldier."
The concert will be held outdoors on the oval of the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford, Virginia, and will begin at 1:30 pm. Aside from the concert, which is free for veterans, Lee's famous "Freedom Cart" will make an appearance. The cart is hand-painted and custom built with veterans' uniforms and patches for seat covers. It is meant as a symbol to honor veterans. This performance is one of many that Lee plans to hold in VA centers across the country.
For a complete list of Lee's patriotic concerts, click here.