{"id":6087,"date":"2026-10-28T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/?p=6087"},"modified":"2026-10-20T18:33:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T18:33:46","slug":"veterans-day-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/veterans-day-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"Veterans Day Blues"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veterans Day gives us the opportunity to both thank and honor our men and women who have served this country in uniform. On this special holiday it\u2019s important to remember the sacrifice each member of the Armed Forces readily accepts in service to our nation. If you take the time to explore the musical honor roll you\u2019ll find it filled with legends in every branch of the military.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/compositeArtists5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6114\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/compositeArtists5.jpg 768w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/compositeArtists5-300x219.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">Everyone remembers <strong>Elvis<\/strong> in the 50s wearing his Army fatigues, but I was fascinated to find that both <strong>Johnny Cash<\/strong> and <strong>Willie Nelson<\/strong> spent their active duty days in Air Force khakis. It\u2019s pretty well-documented that during the early 60s, guitarist <strong>Jimi Hendrix<\/strong> was an Army paratrooper with the 101<sup>st<\/sup> Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles) at around that same time, <strong>Kris Kristofferson <\/strong>was flying helicopters as a Captain in the Army Rangers. If you\u2019re a long-time fan of Jazz and Blues you probably knew that the legendary sax player,<strong> John Coltrane<\/strong> wore Navy bellbottoms during World War II. But did you know that bluesman Chester Burnett also served during the war? Burnett not only served, but spent a large portion of his military time with the Army\u2019s historic 9<sup>th<\/sup> Cavalry Regiment. <strong>Sir, Yes Sir!<\/strong> Howlin\u2019 Wolf was a Buffalo Soldier!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"903\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/HowlinWolf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6088\" style=\"width:466px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/HowlinWolf.jpg 576w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/HowlinWolf-191x300.jpg 191w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Howlin&#8217; Wolf<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a journalist, you get to ask people a lot of questions. The \u2018Who, Where and How\u2019 things happen usually include early influences, family, friends and the occasional chance meeting or lucky break. But it\u2019s the Why\u2019s and the \u2018What the\u2026?\u2019 of a person\u2019s journey that can leave you slack-jawed and direct you down a completely different path. Military service-whether voluntary or the surprise postal \u201cGreetings!\u201d from your local Draft Board-certainly qualify for the latter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In conversations with musician friends and artists over the years, I\u2019m often awestruck by revelations of past military experiences. B.B. King is one of my personal favorites. When I asked him about serving in the Army during WWII, he laughed and shook his head. <strong>\u201cOnly a short time&#8230;Let me tell you this and I have to apologize to all the service people. I only served when I went into basic training and at that time I was on the plantation. So when you\u2019re on the plantation like I was, we were raising produce and things for the Armed Forces. They told us at that time that what we were doing was equally important. But if we left and stopped doing it, we\u2019d be re-classified. So a lot of us kept doing it. I went in for basic training in \u201943. I became 18 in \u201943 and short of the full basic training which was usually 3 months, we did 2\u00bd months. Then they re-classified us and they sent us back and I started driving my tractor again. And I drove it till the war was over&#8230;when the war was over, that\u2019s when I left and went to Memphis.\u201d<\/strong> I commented that everyone knows the Army runs on its stomach, so in essence you were essential personnel. <strong>\u201cEven if I died tomorrow,\u201d<\/strong> B.B. shook his head and started to laugh, <strong>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t get a flag!\u201d<\/strong> (Service Commendation Award)<strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the 1940s World War II instantly spread blues music to International shores. When you think about it, it\u2019s impossible to not experience \u2018the blues\u2019 when you\u2019re far from home, missing the ones you love and then there\u2019s that little matter of having a country full of people you don\u2019t even know, trying to kill you! That pretty much is an ultimate mood breaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-luminous-vivid-orange-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1\">James &#8216;Snooky&#8217; Pryor \u2013 United States Army<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">Chicago harp legend, James \u2018Snooky\u2019 Pryor witnessed war up close and personal when serving in the South Pacific. <strong>\u201cI was on Noumea, New Caledonia. I was on Saipan, Tinian; I was on Guam and Eniwetok.\u201d<\/strong> Pryor was assigned to the <strong>\u201c362<sup>nd<\/sup> Engineers and 267th QM Company, and was attached to the 24<sup>th<\/sup> Infantry when I came home.\u201d<\/strong> Headds, <strong>\u201cI was a bugler.\u201d<\/strong> He starts to laugh when he told me after TAPS every night <strong>\u201cand not too close to the front line\u201d<\/strong> they would leave the Army PA system hot and he would break out his harmonica and blow some of those mournful, moaning deep blues through the dense, jungle battle lines. You just know, that had to create a major pucker factor for the enemy fighting forces. Sitting in total darkness, on an island in the middle of nowhere and hearing the electrified wail of blues drifting through the banana trees and coconut palms. Amplified harmonica! Snooky said, <strong>\u201cThat\u2019s where I got the idea from.\u201d<\/strong> Got those mean old, low down, you better duck blues, AGAIN! &#8230;another military \u2018blues\u2019 first. And I still can\u2019t listen to Snooky play \u2018Judgment Day\u2019 without thinking about that story.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-luminous-vivid-orange-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2\">John Mayall &#8211; British Corps of Royal Engineers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">John Mayall talked about hearing American music and blues over Armed Forces Radio when he was stationed near U.S. troops during the Korean War. Mayall served as a uniformed member of the Corps of Royal Engineers in the British military. He remembers spending almost as much time at sea with the Royal Navy as he did on land. <strong>\u201cIn the British Army I think you were only allowed to be there (Korea) for a total of, I think, 14 or 15 months because of the extreme winters. It took two months to get there on the boat and two months to get back, so 18 months\u2026about half of my three year service.\u201d<\/strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mayall\u2019s \u2018Memories\u2019 album released in 1971 gives you a little personal perspective of John\u2019s time in uniform with the songs, \u2018The Fighting Line\u2019 and \u2018Back from Korea.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-luminous-vivid-orange-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3\">Doug MacLeod \u2013 United States Navy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Doug MacLeod is the ultimate storyteller\/songwriter and bluesman. Doug was active duty Navy during Vietnam from 1964 through 1968. His job was as an Aviation Antisubmarine Warfare Technician. He said he eventually ended up working on airborne electronic systems and surface search radar. <strong>\u201c<\/strong><strong>I took a lot of pride in fixing the radars. When they left my shop they were good to fly.\u201d<\/strong> Doug is the first to admit. <strong>\u201cI was not the perfect sailor by any means. Shoes weren\u2019t shined, white hat on the back of my head\u2026but I took my job very seriously.\u201d&nbsp;<\/strong>When asked if the military had an impact on the music he plays, he told me <strong>\u201cnot directly, but it taught me to be responsible for what I do and who I am\u2026and to be on time!\u201d<\/strong> And about the music? <strong>\u201cI did meet an old country bluesman, Ernest Banks in Toano VA. I learned from him.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"918\" height=\"516\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vrm2zlflV7c\" title=\"The Memphis Porch Sessions Episode 9 - How the Old Bluesmen Made Bottleneckz &amp; Slides\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Doug was stationed at NAS Norfolk for almost 3 1\/2 years and I asked if he was able to play music during his time on active duty? <strong>\u201cYes I did.\u201d<\/strong> he says. <strong>\u201cI got my start in the coffeehouses in Norfolk and VA Beach.\u201d<\/strong> I\u2019m almost afraid to ask, but any memorable stories from your Navy time? <strong>\u201cYeah, this one. When I first got to NAS Norfolk, I was an E3 so I had head duty a lot. I remember one day mopping up the deck when a Marine Gunny and my First Class PO came in. I stopped mopping and waited for them to finish at the urinals. The Gunny finished first and went to the sink to wash his hands. The 1st Class after he was done just started to walk out of the head. The Gunny saw him and said, \u2018Hey Squid! Don\u2019t they teach you to wash your hands after you piss in the Navy?\u2019<\/strong> <strong>The 1st Class came back with, \u2018In the Navy they teach us, don\u2019t pee on your hands\u2019.\u201d&nbsp;<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-luminous-vivid-orange-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4\">Shane Hall \u2013 United States Marine Corps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Shane Hall joined the Marines right out of high school. <strong>\u201cMy first assignment was to Okinawa, Japan. The first couple of months were hard, but after that\u2026 In \u201999 I got back to California, Camp Pendleton\u2026from there I went to Italy. I served four years in Rome. I\u2019m 22, I go to Rome and am attached to the Navy but there\u2019s no base. I didn\u2019t play music very much then\u2026 I was still figuring it out. I knew I still needed to work on stuff.\u201d<\/strong> Eventually, that changed. <strong>\u201cI started playing more and joined a couple of duo groups, so that\u2019s where I learned to play my first leads. And it was all acoustic up to that point.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still in uniform, Shane came back to California from Italy and music became a constant. <strong>\u201cI started a duo and gigged around here and we played everything from open mics to coffee shops. We\u2019d do whatever we could to just play. It was called the Side Project because we couldn\u2019t come up with a good name.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Being in the military created a few inconveniences. <strong>\u201cAlso during that period I deployed to Iraq twice.\u201d<\/strong> Shane says. <strong>\u201cI recorded CDs both times I was out there.\u201d<\/strong> You have music that you recorded in Iraq? <strong>\u201cYeah!\u201d<\/strong> (laughing) <strong>\u201cThey\u2019re both\u2026not good!\u201d<\/strong> (laughing) <strong>\u201cIt was just a microphone and a laptop and I didn\u2019t know what I was doing. Just lame songs I recorded in shacks.\u201d<\/strong> (laughing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"918\" height=\"516\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tfawVc3NO4s\" title=\"Shane Hall | Ambush\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">Not quite finished with his military commitment, Staff Sgt. Hall was reassigned back to Asia. This time stationed in Iwakuni, Japan. <strong>\u201cThat was like Music College for me. My first night I went off base, it was my birthday and I went in one bar called Underground, run by an American guy who used to be in the Navy. He owned a couple of bars in town. His name was Dudley, a cool guy, a rock guy from the \u201980s and he was a really good drummer, too. I played him a couple of my demos from Iraq and California and he said, \u2018Is this you? Is this you singing and playing guitar?\u2019 He said, \u2018Come back next week.\u2019 I came back and the bar was closed and he had a band there\u2013bass player and a drummer, Japanese guys. We started a band and it became the house band for his bar. There was a bar in Hiroshima and we were invited by Japanese bands to play with them. It was cool; we did Tokyo and military bases down south, on some islands. I performed on AFN<\/strong> (American Forces Network) <strong>because they had an affiliate station in Iwakuni. Iwakuni was also where the blues thing came out. My default is blues. If I strip down and go to my comfort zone, it\u2019s the blues. I think it\u2019s just because it\u2019s comfortable\u2026the time and the feel. I\u2019m an ear and feel player.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One final tour, <strong>\u201cI went to Wilmington, North Carolina, which is a huge music town. That\u2019s where I cut my teeth gigging. I played four or five times a week, still in the military and stationed at Camp Lejeune. The commute was crazy, but worth it. There were a lot of musicians in Wilmington and national acts came through there, so I heard a lot of music, played a lot of music, and it made me realize I could make money at it. And that\u2019s when I decided to get out of the Marine Corps. I got lucky.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-luminous-vivid-orange-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5\">Dennis Jones \u2013 United States Army<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">Dennis Jones is a prolific singer\/songwriter and constantly touring bluesman. He\u2019s currently in the studio working on his 9<sup>th<\/sup> album. Dennis tells me, <strong>\u201cI was in the Army, from 1977 to 1980\u202613 Bravo. I was in field artillery then transferred to Special Weapons after 4 months of service. I only did one 3 year stint in Germany and was acting Sergeant for a year. I had more good times than bad and made quite a few German friends.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"674\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/DennisJones-674x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6089\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/DennisJones-674x1024.jpg 674w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/DennisJones-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/DennisJones-768x1166.jpg 768w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/DennisJones-1012x1536.jpg 1012w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/DennisJones-850x1291.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/DennisJones.jpg 1248w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 674px) 100vw, 674px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Dennis Jones lets it rip<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Were you playing at the time and did living overseas have an impact on your music? <strong>\u201cYes it did. I was 18 and was performing in a band in the States. So, I formed a band with a few GI&#8217;s and we did a few originals, but mainly popular covers of the time. We played in Hohndorf, a local town about 4 kilometers from the base. The German people loved us. We played there as much as possible. Living in Europe opened my eyes to different cultures, food and music. It was a great education for a young man trying to escape the boredom of country living. From 18 to 21, it definitely shaped my life forever.\u201d<\/strong> <strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Was there a family history of military service? <strong>\u201cMy Uncle, Richard Jones was in Vietnam. We were pen pals. I still have a few letters that he sent me.\u201d<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do you have any favorite memories from your military time? <strong>\u201cI was one of only a few privates that owned a car. I would leave base at 5pm every day and either go to Nuremberg or Furth and be back on base in the morning before 5am role call. Music, girls, nightclubs and parties! That&#8217;s what I did when I was 18. I was a bit of an outcast. A lot of things were black and white but because of the music and where I grew up, I blurred the lines. Caught a lot of flak from both sides but I was cocky, confident and didn&#8217;t care. I got tired after about a year but I\u2019d signed up for it, so I was determined to make the best of it and I did.\u201d<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-luminous-vivid-orange-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6\">Ed Croft \u2013 United States Navy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">Singer, Songwriter, Producer and Sax man, Ed Croft did Navy time in the late 80s enlisting as a Cryptologic Technician Interpretive (CTI) <strong>\u201cI took the Defense Language Aptitude Battery DLAB test, passed and enlisted for 5 years with a sign on bonus. Only later did I learn what a CTI actually does, which was not what I was told\u2026however, fate was on my side in boot camp. They had a recruit band, and I was selected to be the Drum Major based on my music background. I had played professionally prior to my enlistment. The Chief Musician asked why I didn\u2019t enlist as a musician. I explained my recruiter said I needed a college degree to be in the Navy Music Program\u2026which also wasn\u2019t true, so he immediately got me an audition. I was selected, dropped my CTI rank and bonus, and became a Navy Musician.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where were you assigned? <strong>\u201cAfter my music \u2018A\u2019 school in Norfolk, VA, I was asked for my top 3 duty stations. Of course, I wanted to go abroad so I picked Japan, Italy and Guam. I joined the Navy to see something else. The Master Chief asked how does New Orleans sound. I said perfect, so my next 3 1\/2 years were spent in the fabulous city of New Orleans with the Navy Band of the South.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do you think your military experience had an impact on your music? <strong>\u201cAbsolutely! You have to be able to play, read and write all styles of music from Military marches, Classical, Jazz, Rock, Country, Pop etc. Being able to adapt and play extremely diverse styles of music has carried me all these years later. It also taught me I had the discipline and focus to play music. After my 4 years were up, this still continues to this day.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"607\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CroftTripper.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6090\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CroftTripper.jpg 576w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CroftTripper-285x300.jpg 285w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Navy Musician Ed Croft hanging with the Night Tripper<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Was there a Croft family history of service? <strong>\u201cI come from a big military family on both my father and mother&#8217;s side of the families. My Grandfather Croft served in the Navy in WWI and WWII, and my Grandfather Peters served in the US Marines in WWII and was in the first landing troops at Guadalcanal. Then my dad and stepfather served, along with many of my uncles and cousins.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last call, any favorite memories? <strong>\u201cMy favorite memory was my very last Mardi Gras Parade in 1991 riding in the Zulu Parade. BB King was The Grandmaster and at the end of the parade route I ran into Dr. John. I had a bit of a fan boy moment, but he agreed to take a picture with me, which I still have.\u201d &nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-luminous-vivid-orange-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7\">Caron Sugaray Rayford &#8211; United States Marine Corps&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">Sugaray Rayford is a Grammy-nominated and multiple Blues Music Award winning musician and he told me, <strong>\u201cI was E-6 Staff Sergeant<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>2141 Amphibious Assault Mechanic.<\/strong> <strong>I was with the Amphibious Assault Force (AMTRACS!) I had deployments to Okinawa (during Desert Shield) and a few other places, but always back to Camp Pendleton.<\/strong> Good tours? <strong>\u201cI would say I actually enjoyed Okinawa.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"498\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MarvinLynchard-1024x498.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6091\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MarvinLynchard-1024x498.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MarvinLynchard-300x146.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MarvinLynchard-768x374.jpg 768w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MarvinLynchard-850x413.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MarvinLynchard.jpg 1248w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Marine Corps photo: Marvin Lynchard<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Did your family have a history of military service? <strong>\u201cYes, I have several great Uncles, Uncles, my brother and I, we all served.\u201d<\/strong>&nbsp;Any takeaways from your time in uniform\/lessons learned? <strong>\u201cYes, the discipline to be on time and where I\u2019m supposed to be\u2026most of the \u2018lessons\u2019 were from my Grandma, but the Corps taught me to be a man.\u201d<\/strong> Did you write or play music when you were on active duty? <strong>\u201cNo! The funny thing is, I didn\u2019t sing or play for over 13 years.\u201d<\/strong> You certainly seem to be making up for lost time now. Your working on I think, your 7<sup>th<\/sup> album and your songwriting reflects some of the toughest social issues in our world today. Tell us about the track \u201cInvisible Soldier\u2019 from your album, \u2018In Too Deep.\u2019 <strong>\u201cI hadn\u2019t really spoken about any of the military stuff, or PTSD in my other albums, but you get to a certain age and I\u2019m not sure what that age is; but when you get to a certain age you get a real bad case of I don\u2019t give a damn what people think. Don\u2019t ask me if you don\u2019t really want to know. So I\u2019m at that age. I feel comfortable now, where I am musically and who I am\u2026to talk about it. And I\u2019ve talked to a lot of other Vets, and they\u2019ve all told me, \u2018talk about it, it\u2019s cool because it might help somebody else.\u2019 And I\u2019ve always like putting things to music. When it\u2019s hard to speak about a difficult issue, I wrap them in a real nice, funky tune. When you\u2019re tapping your feet and listening to the music\u2026but if you listen to the lyrics and hear what I\u2019m actually singing about you\u2019ll maybe think a little about our Vets.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"918\" height=\"516\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PR04oSzjVqY?list=RDPR04oSzjVqY\" title=\"Invisible Soldier - Sugaray Rayford\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any memorable experiences you could share from your military days? <strong>\u201cI\u2019m not sure if your audience is old enough to hear some of those stories, but I will share this one. I remember doing my first fuel excursion (AMTRAC) here in California. I think we were near Camp Pendleton and I was sleeping on top of my AMTRAC vehicle and I thought someone started it up, but it wasn\u2019t being started\u2026It was my first earthquake!\u201d&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-luminous-vivid-orange-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8\">Tony Tomlinson \u2013 United States Navy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">Tony Tomlinson is a long time Southern California guitarist and bassist who currently fronts \u2018TA Tomlinson &amp; Co\u2019 and for more than 20 years has performed with the award-winning San Diego band \u2018the Fremonts.\u2019His music career definitely has military roots. <strong>\u201cMy enlisted service not only shaped my musical journey, it enabled it.\u201d<\/strong> Tony says. <strong>\u201cI was enlisted in the Navy from 1989 &#8211; 1992.&nbsp;As soon as I signed the dotted line, I decided I would buy a guitar when I got to my first duty station.&nbsp;In January of 1990, I got orders to NSGA Naples, Italy.&nbsp;Right around that time, I was listening to a lot of Texas blues in the form of T-Bone Walker, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.&nbsp;In August of that year, Stevie died so I went down to the exchange and bought a black Fender Stratocaster and a small solid state amp.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>My first paid gig was at the Enlisted Club in Naples. It was with a pickup band consisting of the sailors and marines stationed in Naples. I don\u2019t remember much from that gig other than there were quite a few people there and we played \u2018Smokestack Lightning\u2019 at least three times!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A few years later, I was stationed in Misawa, Japan and played some great gigs and met some terrific musicians. One of our first gigs in Misawa was opening for Eddie Money. I also had a weekly gig with a friend and great guitar player\/songwriter named Len DiGiovanna.&nbsp;We played at this cool British Pub for beef stew, tips, and free drinks. It was great.&nbsp;The Navy deposited me back in San Diego in 1995. Soon thereafter, I met Tomcat Courtney and my real relationship with the Blues began in earnest.&nbsp;The late 1990s were a great time to be&nbsp;in Southern California.&nbsp;On any given night, you could catch James Harman and Those Dangerous Gentlemens, Johnny Dyer, Billy Bacon, Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets, Billy Watson and his amazing lineups, Big Sandy and his Fly-Right Boys, the Paladins, and many great local bands.\u201d&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What was your job on active duty and any memorable tours? <strong>\u201cI was a CTO3 (crypto logic technician operator) when I got out.&nbsp;Right before I got out, I had begun the process of converting to intelligence specialist and did a brief stint in the Reserves.&nbsp;But my most memorable tour was onboard the USS Austin (LPD-4) in support of Desert Shield\/Storm.&nbsp; Due to the nature of my work, I was able to pick up some great radio stations out of France that broadcast wonderful blues programming.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Was there a Tomlinson family history in the military? <strong>\u201cMy grandfathers and great uncles were in WWII, my Dad was in the Navy, and my uncles served in the Army in Vietnam.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I know you recently retired after 30 plus years of combined service with the Navy, any lasting rewards? \u201c<strong>The Navy gave me structure and taught me professionalism; and enabled me to buy more guitars, amps\u2026\u201d&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"728\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Tomlinson-1024x728.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6092\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Tomlinson-1024x728.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Tomlinson-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Tomlinson-768x546.jpg 768w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Tomlinson-104x74.jpg 104w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Tomlinson-850x604.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Tomlinson.jpg 1248w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Tomlinson\u2019s Navy issue \u2013 Salty Six-string<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">As these memories convey, everyone\u2019s life experiences are unique to the individual, including time spent in uniform. In blues parlance &#8211; The Key to the Highway apparently is based on how you choose to navigate the terrain. For the musicians who graciously shared their journeys on this Veterans Day, the common thread seems to center on both service and giving back. Not only of their memories and the miles they\u2019ve endured, but through the artistry and music they continue to share with all of us. Truly, they are the gifts that keep on giving. So, do me a favor\u2026if you know a veteran or just see someone in uniform, be sure to look them in the eye, shake their hand and really mean it when you say, \u2018Thank You for your Service.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Veterans Day gives us the opportunity to both thank and honor our men and women who have served this country in uniform. On this special holiday it\u2019s important to remember the sacrifice each member of the Armed Forces readily accepts in service to our nation. If you take the time to explore the musical honor roll you\u2019ll find it filled with legends in every branch of the military.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":6102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3029,3011,2996,2982,183,2981,2984,3010,2995,3032,848,3003,3009,3002,3017,3001,3027,3023,2988,3018,2993,2994,2986,3008,3006,2985,3022,834,3007,19,3026,3013,2991,3012,3021,603,2178,3033,3020,3030,2980,3028,3000,1425,2979,3004,3016,792,3024,2992,3005,2999,2997,3015,3014,2886,2998,2990,2987,2983,3019,2989,2978,3025,3031],"class_list":["post-6087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-howlin-wolf","tag-afn","tag-amtrac","tag-anson-funderburgh","tag-b-b-king","tag-billy-bacon","tag-billy-watson","tag-camp-lejeune","tag-camp-pendleton","tag-chester-burnett","tag-chicago","tag-cti","tag-dennis-jones","tag-dlab","tag-doug-macleod","tag-ed-croft","tag-elvis","tag-eniwetok","tag-enlisted-club","tag-ernest-banks","tag-fabulous-thunderbirds","tag-fender-stratocaster","tag-fly-right-boys","tag-furth","tag-german","tag-gig-sandy","tag-guam","tag-hiroshima","tag-hohundorf","tag-home_page","tag-infantry","tag-iraq","tag-italsy","tag-iwakuni","tag-james-snooky","tag-japanese","tag-jimi-hendrix","tag-john-coltrane","tag-john-mayall","tag-johnny-cash","tag-johnny-dyer","tag-kris-kristofferson","tag-mardi-gras-parade","tag-marine-corps","tag-misawa","tag-navy-musician","tag-norfolk-va","tag-north-carolina","tag-noumea","tag-nsga","tag-nuremberg","tag-okinawa","tag-ptsd","tag-rome","tag-side-project","tag-stevie-ray-vaughan","tag-sugaray-rayford","tag-the-fremonts","tag-the-paladins","tag-the-rockets","tag-toano-va","tag-tony-tomlinson","tag-veterans-day","tag-vew-caledonia","tag-wille-nelson"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Veterans Day Blues - Traveling Boy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/veterans-day-blues\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Veterans Day Blues - Traveling Boy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Veterans Day gives us the opportunity to both thank and honor our men and women who have served this country in uniform. 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