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, was Stevie Nicks.
Stevie Nicks visits were lengthy and never felt rushed. She genuinely took the time out of her day to spend it with our nations 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 moral of the patients during their lengthy recovery and rehabilitation time.
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
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Special thank you goes out to AP Press for quotes from an interview with Stevie Nicks discussing her experiences and album release.
http://www.operationward57.org/2012/02/3421/