MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. – Memorial Day weekend is a time set aside to honor those who died serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, but it’s also a chance to help service members as they transition into civilian life. 

Guitars for Vets helps veterans do just that through music. 

In the music room of his Menomonee Falls home, Jesse Tyler Frewerd sings a song he not only wrote, but a story he lived. He was a senior at Pulaski High School near Green Bay in 2001 when the Twin Towers were brought down and America was suddenly at war. He knew his life would change, too.

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“I just remember watching it on TV and just, in shock like everyone,” he said. “Eventually, it led me to the Army.”

Frewerd returned home from a tour in Iraq physically OK, but there were some way-too-close calls. 

“Having an IED go off right under the Humvee we were in,” he said. “Very lucky that we all made it through that.”

So how does war change a person?

“I would say war changes a person because you can see the best in people but you also the worst side of it,” said Frewerd. “That’s what Guitar’s for Vets does, like help vets transition back in a healthy way.”

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Guitars for Vets is a non-profit organization with Milwaukee roots. It puts guitars in the hands of veterans and teaches them not only how to play, but to use music as a way to cope with the memories of what those of us who haven’t served can’t even imagine. 

“It helped me primarily with community, just having other like-minded veterans to jam with,” Frewerd said.

“The men and women I come across and tell them about Guitars for Vets, I refer to that as a new mission,” he continued. “It gives purpose, fulfillment – it’s a new mission in life.”

Frewerd is an alumnus of the program and now an ambassador. He played a little music before the war, but Guitars for Vets helped to expand his playing skills and connected him to another veteran group that teaches songwriting.

He came back from war to a new baby, a breakup and the death of his dad.

“It was a lot, and it took its toll on me, and I really didn’t know what to make of it,” Frewerd said. “Luckily, due to family support and my now wife, just getting me out of this little hole I’d dug for myself. It’s good to be on the other side of things.”

Frewerd’s day job has him helping veterans transition back to civilian life. His own story strikes a chord with those who’ve lived a similar tune.

“It’s a snapshot. It’s when I was at a bleak moment, but I think now just speaking to that there is hope,” he said. “If I can get through it, there’s hope for other veterans.”

Rock 4 Vets in New Berlin will raise money for Guitars for Vets on Thursday night, May 23. Held at the New Berlin West High School Performing Arts Center, doors open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $20. The lineup includes Willy Porter, Rob Anthony, The Whiskeybells, and KB and the Dungarees.