John Mayer‘s latest project shines the spotlight on the various needs of veterans.
On Friday, the “I Guess I Just Feel Like” musician launched theHeart and Armor Foundation, a venture focused on protecting the health of veterans as well as familiarizing civilians with the military experience.
Collaborating with scientists, clinicians and veterans themselves, Mayer — whose father is a World War II vet — has worked with veterans in varying capacities andpartnershipsfor a decade, spending “a lot of time figuring out how to ‘support the troops’ with real action instead of platitudes.”
Ahead of its formal establishment, the Heart and Armor Foundation has already made considerable strides, including developing and testing exercise-based interventions for PTSD, creating a nutrition screening tool for women veterans and being published 10 times in peer-review journals.
Danny Clinch
The foundation is now focusing on developing support for continued research and has a goal of “bringing military and veteran communities closer together with outreach, events and conversation.”
Kicking off Friday evening, Mayer, 41, and a group of veterans and experts will gather for a discussion and Q&A about the new generation of women in combat. “How War Changes Women, How Women Change War” will stream live on bothFacebook.com/JohnMayerandFacebook.com/HeartandArmorat 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST.
Ahead of the conversation, Mayer has written a letter launching the foundation shared exclusively with PEOPLE below:
Welcome to the Heart and Armor Foundation.
I am about the same age as the first wave of Iraq and Afghanistan military veterans. I have felt gratitude and discomfort about the disproportionally large burden that military service members carry in our society, and I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to “support the troops” with real action instead of platitudes.
This foundation is the culmination of eight years of research, veteran conversations, and pilot work.
I think few reasonable people would argue that we have an obligation to long term health of these men and women. And Heart and Armor will certainly do our part in meeting those obligations.
I look forward to better understanding and sharing their journey, and to giving you a window into their worlds. I am so grateful to veterans for carrying so much of our burden, and I hope you join me in trying to share a little of theirs.
With love, John Mayer
Tune into “How War Changes Women, How Women Change War” on bothFacebook.com/JohnMayerandFacebook.com/HeartandArmoron Friday at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST.
source: people.com
