Creative and Dreams Music Network, LLC and Fred Cannon KHS are proud to welcome JT Cooper.
“Mr. No Apology” JT Cooper is unapologetically American. He sums himself up in three words: God, Family and Country.
In 1993, JT was a member of the QRF (Quick Reaction Force) 2-14 Infantry from the 10th Mountain Division. On the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia, 2-14 Infantry rescued those pinned down and trapped during the Battle of Mogadishu or Black Hawk Down. For his role as a 60 Gunner, JT received a Purple Heart, a CIB (Combat Infantryman Badge) and a Valorous Unit Citation.
During the 12-hour ordeal, JT’s roommate PFC James Henry Martin Jr. was killed. Sgt. Cornell Houston, JT’s teammate and his assigned Engineer detachment for their Infantry Platoon, survived the battle but later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Germany.
After deployments to Panama, Somalia and Haiti, JT decided to leave service instead of reenlisting. “I needed a break to figure some stuff out,” he said. “I didn’t understand why I lived and Jimmy died.”
JT had PTSD long before it became a national buzzword. His “survivor’s guilt” drove him to the brink of suicide for most of 1996. His mother often asked him what was wrong, but he realized that he couldn’t tell her if he didn’t know himself.
He finally realized he didn’t have anyone giving him missions anymore and needed to figure out his new mission. Music saved his life and became his mission. He decided to tell stories for those who couldn’t tell them for themselves, while also finding the words to articulate his own story. Those words fell into songs.
Today, JT serves his country by helping his fellow veterans find a way home. He brings his Nashville songwriter friends together for songwriting retreats, where combat stories are told one song at a time.
Warrior Rounds was founded by JT Cooper in 2019, paired US Military Veterans (Warriors) with professional hit songwriters allowing Warriors to tell their War Stories in a song. It starts with the Nashville songwriting tradition of sharing music “In the Round”, where every night in ‘Music City’ songwriters take turns playing their songs and telling the stories behind them. Warrior Rounds celebrates this songwriter tradition and brings it to a mission of greater purpose and a higher calling. In a retreat setting, songwriters help them find the words to tell their War Stories in a song. The process helps the Veterans open up and allows them to see there are people willing and eager to hear their stories. Songwriters are able to use their talent and craft to serve and honor those who bravely and selflessly served us. Founder, JT Cooper says “How many of you know who Amy Winehouse is? How many of you know who Robin Williams is? Most will raise their hands. If you ask most people if they know one person who sacrificed their freedom for our country, they won’t have an answer.”
The retreat setting and song writing process provides an opportunity for healing for Veterans struggling with PTSD and other issues as a result of their service. The mission of Warrior Rounds is to inspire Warriors to talk to someone, to encourage them that they are not alone, and to educate civilians about the struggles that Warriors face day to day.
Through Warrior Rounds he also hopes to shine a light on the songwriters, to help the storytellers shine brightly through their craft. The Warriors are allowed to tell their story in their own words. The songwriter then brings the music and helps craft lyrics in a way that results in a beautiful tribute to the Warrior and their personal journey comes to life. Each song is performed in a round setting for the public and captured on video. The ultimate goal is to bring their work to a television series to create a larger audience for the public to learn about the Warriors journey. The music and lyrics bring everyone together. They give insight into better understanding the not-so-visible battle scars these brave Warriors quietly carry inside.
Founder and main sponsor JT Cooper shares his own struggles with PTSD which have been healed and soothed through music. “I have learned how powerful sharing through music can help not only me but others. There are magical moments in the room, when you touch the truth.” -JT Cooper
JT Cooper was an Infantry Warrior with the 10th Mountain division at Ft. Drum, NY. In Somalia, he was part of the QRF that was sent in to rescue the Rangers during the infamous “Black Hawk Down”. JT Cooper received a Purple Heart, The Combat infantryman’s Badge and a Valorous Unit Award. JT also was deployed to Haiti to help reinstate their President that was overthrown in a COUP. After 20 years in Nashville, JT Cooper has released 3 Albums, and written and recorded hundreds of songs. JT says that his personal journey was the foundation to lead him into developing and founding Warrior Rounds. He has been focused on telling real stories instead of writing hits for a long time. JT considers life and music differently than most people in Music City.
JT says, “The most rewarding aspect of Warrior Rounds are the calls that come from those he has written songs for that say, “JT our song you helped write, helped me get out of Bed again today and try again. That is a hit song.”
JT has recorded 3 studio albums that are available on iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp,and wherever else digital music is sold or streamed. JT is currently working on his fourth album CD which is soon to be released on Creative and Dreams Music Network, LLC.
He is featured in two documentaries “Honoring the Code” and “Black Hawk Down; The Untold Stories.”
“It all begins with a creative dream.”- Fred Cannon, KCHS
Links
- Warrior Rounds
- Strength Through Song by Military Officers Association of America
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