A Wisconsin Musician Honors Female Veterans Through Song

You often hear music can be healing. And for this particular project, veterans are sharing their stories which are then crafted into songs. It’s a way to highlight their struggles, sacrifices, and often-overlooked experiences. A Wisconsin musician is helping honor female veterans who have served. Warrior Songs is a non-profit organization bringing hope and healing to veterans through song and other arts. It also gives civilians a better understanding of the military experience. 

“Music helps you process things. It’s a way of organizing what’s happened and projecting it in a way that brings understanding or connection. And for veterans, especially those who feel unseen, it’s incredibly powerful,” Kelsey Miles says.

Miles is one of the musicians involved in the Warrior Songs project. She heard the testimonials of five women veterans and says the common thread of underappreciation and isolation in civilian life inspired the song “Sacrifice Ignored.” But Miles reveals the details of one of those stories really stood out to her. 

LISTEN to the song, “Sacrifice Ignored,” as played live in-studio:

“A female veteran was at the grocery store and a stranger thanked her for her husband’s service,” Miles explains. “She corrected him and the man apologized. But she couldn’t shake the feeling of being invisible.”

The song lyrics capture the weight of this experience: “The groceries I held grew heavy, and I felt like my sacrifice was ignored.” It’s a moment of bittersweet validation, woven into a song that now speaks for countless others.

There are 28,000 women veterans in the state, according to a study by the UWM Center for Economic Development. 
See more veteran statistics below. 

Miles is not a veteran, but like the other artists involved, she hopes to be the voice for those who may be going unheard. 

“I hope I did it justice,” she says. “I was honored to help turn these real experiences into music that might reach those who can’t quite understand or haven’t thought to ask. I hope it opens a door to conversations and respect for all veterans.”

“Sacrifice Ignored” opens the album and sets a tone of resilience and acknowledgment. It’s more than just music. It’s a testament to the enduring strength and unspoken sacrifices of women who have served, and an invitation to see veterans in a fuller light.

LISTEN to the complete interview about Warrior Songs here:

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Wisconsin Veterans by the numbers:

1. Wisconsin is currently home to more than 331,000 veterans, as noted in the most recent US Census. 
2. The US Census number is about 8% of the total population in the state.
3. The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates by 2045, the total number of veterans in Wisconsin will drop in half.
4. Half of Wisconsin’s veterans are more than 65 years old.*
5. There are 28,000 women veterans in the state.* 
6. Those serving post-9/11 are the fastest growing and most diverse group of veterans in the Wisconsin.*
7. Close to 12% of veterans live in the northern part of the state, according to the VA.
8. The VA shows Monroe County with the largest veteran population in Wisconsin.
9. 75% of veterans in the state own their home.*
10. A quarter of veterans in Wisconsin report feeling moderate to severe anxiety.*

*Study by the UWM Center for Economic Development

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