JFKIAT partnered with the nonprofit CreatiVets to hold a special musical performance honoring the nation’s veterans Thursday, Nov. 10, at JFK Airport’s Terminal 4. Several military veterans contributed to the songwriting process for the performance at the event by musician Daniel Smalley.
According to JFKIAT, a total of 32 veterans took part in this process, each with different backgrounds ranging from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to the Transportation Security Administration, to ABM Industries and JFKIAT. In addition to the musical performance, a group portrait of the veterans was unveiled. The portrait was captured by photographer Jason Myers and assisted by Laurel Higman.
The collaborative sessions the veterans engaged in with CreatiVets involved them listening to songs created by other veterans as they wrote about their own personal stories and experiences. Through these engaging workshops, CreatiVets produced a compelling song that featured the stories of each veteran.
“This is a very special program that shines a light on these amazing veterans and their incredible stories and we are proud to honor those who served our country through this initiative with CreatiVets,” JFKIAT President and CEO Roel Huinink said. “As part of our commitment to supporting and celebrating our local community, we look forward to our ongoing collaboration with CreatiVets to spotlight veterans in Terminal 4 throughout the year and we encourage all passengers to view the portraits and listen to the compelling songs while traveling through our terminal.”
According to one of the veterans who participated in the songwriting process, Drew Vukov, there was a lot of bonding between the veterans over the course of those sessions. According to Vukov, he has spent 18 years in service, including 14 with the Coast Guard. He said the process consisted of two sessions, each four hours long, as they brainstormed ideas and lyrics for songs. Thursday’s performance marked the first time he heard the song in its entirety.
“I wasn’t really sure what it was going to be [like], but when I went into the room for the process and heard the veterans talking, I thought it was great because I found out we had a lot of things in common,” Vukov said. “It was like a therapeutic kind of bonding. The [bonding process] was surprisingly quick. The songwriters gave some icebreaking questions and within a couple of minutes everyone was just talking away.”
Thanks to the new collaboration between JFKIAT and CreatiVets, portraits of other veterans from CreatiVets will be showcased at Terminal 4 on a regular basis. The portraits will include QR codes that take people to the songs these veterans created based on their own stories.
According to CreatiVets Program Director Brett Gillan, the organization also offers a three-week fully accredited art program. The course is hosted at various colleges across the United States. Enrolled veterans learn to tell their stories through conceptual art sessions, including ceramics, painting, collages and anything else the school may offer. Gillan also noted that the artistic pieces and musical performances can have a huge impact on veterans who see and hear these works.
“In 2017, the Military Times released a study that said 20 veterans per day are committing suicide,” Gillan said. “But the number they don’t really talk about is that 14 of those do not seek help. So we’re trying to find veterans where they are and that’s why we are releasing music, because the only way that you can really reach people in their home is TV, music and video games. Installations like what we have here are crucial because so many veterans will be traveling right through.”
Gillan said CreatiVets has partnered with Big Machine Label Group to produce records of their music and get them out to more people. Additionally, Gillan said the organization partnered with Amazon Alexa to the point that people who ask it to play music by veterans will be recommended songs by CreatiVets.
