Band of Wounded Veterans Healing Through Music: 'We Just Wear Our Scars on the Outside'
A group of wounded veterans in Bethel, Pennsylvania, has found healing through making music and performing with their band. Even though they have each faced horrible circumstances, they are showing that they are as their band name insinuates, resilient.
The Resilient is comprised of five musicians, four of whom are veterans that have lost at least one limb in combat.
Both the lead vocalist, Tim Donley, and the bassist, Marcus D’Andrea, lost both of their legs. Guitarist Nate Kalwicki lost his right leg. Drummer Juan Dominguez uses a modified pedal and drum stick so he can play his instrument after losing both of his legs and his right arm in Afghanistan.
“We just wear our scars on the outside whereas most people have, you know, they’ve got all their own messed up stuff going on inside,” Donley told CBS News.
The five men have formed an unbelievably strong bond through their common pasts and their current interests. Together they are encouraging each other to live out a new mission and share their powerful story with others.
“Even though we’re different and come from different backgrounds, the common thread is not only the military background, but we also have our amputations,” Marc Owens, vocalist and acoustic guitarist, said in a video on the band’s YouTube account.
According to their website, they met at Walter Reed Hospital during their physical rehabilitation and music played a huge role in their recovery.
“I think music is connected to every part of life. It definitely played a part of my healing process after I got hurt in Afghanistan,” Donley said. “It has the capacity to just kinda like get you to let go.”
Together, The Resilient is proving that there is more to life after such traumatic circumstances.
“Audiences across the country will confirm that witnessing this rare unity of military discipline and artistic freedom- along with their extraordinary physical abilities, that allow them to overcome and perform like there is no tomorrow- is what makes The Resilient unmissable,” their website reads.
The Resilient is currently playing shows across the Northeast as they work on their first album, but they have already received plenty of good feedback from the general public.
“There’s something about it, that just, the motivation, the drive, the just the soul of it. It doesn’t feel it can go anywhere but up,” Donley said.
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