During my time stationed at Walter Reed working as a nurse with wounded soldiers, many visitors passed through the doorways of Ward 57. One visitor, in particular, that impressed me the most was Stevie Nicks.
Stevie Nicks’ visits were lengthy and were never rushed. She genuinely took the time out of her day to spend it with our nation’s wounded soldiers. During her visits, she would distribute iPods filled with music she personally helped to pick out for our troops along with other items to help entertain and increase the morale of the patients during their lengthy recovery and rehabilitation time. The visits were very personal and did not involve the entourage of photographers and press personnel some other celebrities have accompanied them on their visits. They were more one-on-one visitations as if she was an old friend stopping by, saying hello.
Recently Stevie Nicks released the song titled “Soldiers Angel” on her latest album In Your Dreams. Stevie Nicks states it started when one Sunday in 2005. She spent eight hours in the Bethesda Naval hospital with wounded soldiers when medical crews suddenly began rushing in a group of seriously wounded troops.
“There were 20 beds down on side and doctors and nurses everywhere, and tanks and family members,” she recalled. “I realized that I had walked in a hospital a rock ‘n’ roll star with not a care in the world, and I was driving away from this hospital a soldier’s mother.
“I went back to my motel and wrote the poem…. it took me four years to put it to music,” she said. “I’ve now given that poem out to hundreds and hundreds of soldiers and their families, their sisters, brothers, moms, dads, grandmothers, nieces, godchildren, everybody. I always told them one day it would be a song.”
We would like to take a moment to recognize Stevie Nicks and her continuous dedication to our wounded soldiers.
Thank you, Stevie Nicks.
SSG (RET) Scott Cameron
Co-Founder, Operation Ward 57
Special thank you goes out to AP Press for quotes from an interview with Stevie Nicks discussing her experiences and album release.
Scott Cameron / Co-Founder, Operation Ward 57 / 2011
