RAF MILDENHALL, England --
Stress is something military members cope with on a daily
basis and all deal with it differently. Resiliency can be increased in a
variety of way including exercise, writing down thoughts or even playing music.
Lucas Hoge, country singer-songwriter and musician, spoke
with Team Mildenhall Airmen June 15, 2016, about the power of music and how it
helps with being more resilient.
Being from a small town in Nebraska - not raised to be a
farmer, but acting as one during his upbringing - he found music was a good
outlet to express himself and to keep him centered.
After moving to Nashville, Hoge spent his workdays building
custom homes for three to four years. To relieve the monotony of the day, he
would spend his evenings playing and writing songs; something he had learned to
love.
“I met Laura (my wife and manager), and she said, ‘you’ve got
to stop doing that and do music only,’ so I walked in that next day and handed
in my notice,’” Hoge explained. “That’s when everything started snowballing; I
realized I could do this and now people are actually paying attention to what
I’m doing. It’s really cool.
“I started writing theme songs for different shows. You just
keep going and going and going no matter how many times you get knocked down,”
he said. “You’ve just got to start over and make it happen, and keep doing what
you love to do. I believe God has a plan for me, I’m not going to give up no
matter what.”
He also shared a few stories of how his music has had the
power of helping others in staying resilient.
“I was at a Calvary church on a Sunday morning, and I guess
one of my songs was playing on the radio, because a lady came up and gave me a
big hug. She told me ‘I was ready to kill myself today, but then I heard your
song on the radio and it stopped me from driving my car off the bridge,’” Hoge
said. “If that’s all I was put on this earth to do, to save that girl’s life, I
think I can die a happy man.”
He also explained that at a young age faith has been an
important part of his life. When he comes to visit deployed members overseas,
he sees a lot of resiliency in those individuals.
“Being able to sustain quality of life on this planet, and
with such craziness going on these days, faith keeps me going,” he said. “Being
able see what you guys go through when you’re deployed is a real honor for us.
We want to come talk to you all and thank you for everything and the service you
do for us. Music is a huge part for me to be able to give back, because I can’t
thank you enough.”