Marine Corps veteran Zach Silver channels his military experiences into folk rock, transforming personal trauma into art, he said, that helps other veterans feel less alone.
Sliver, a Dayton, Ohio, native, serves as an artist ambassador for Operation Encore, a nonprofit that connects veteran and active-duty musicians with the music industry. His project, called Yuppie, offers a counter-narrative to common stereotypes about veterans.
"I believe veterans have a different perspective on things," Sliver said. "The perspective veterans give is one of the warrior who is no longer a warrior and is trying to become a member of society again."
Sliver joined the Marine Corps in 2010 at age 19 after feeling aimless in college. He served as a field radio operator and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and Quantico, Virginia.
While at Quantico, Sliver experienced trauma when an active shooter entered his barracks. The incident left him with lingering anxiety that he manages through therapy.
"Some of the things I saw and heard kind of plagued me for years and still give me a little bit of anxiety from time to time," Sliver said. "But nothing that therapy and working and talking through it can't help."
Six years ago, Operation Encore accepted Sliver as an artist ambassador. The organization, a 501(c)(3) charity, helps veterans advance their music careers by funding album recordings, travel, and showcases.
"They help showcase who veterans really are — opposite of a story about PTSD or a man on the side of the road with a sign," Sliver said.
"The perspective veterans give is one of the warrior who is no longer a warrior and is trying to become a member of society again."Zack Sliver
A performance in Sacramento proved to Sliver that his music creates meaningful connections. After a show, a woman approached him and said she didn't understand what her brother was going through until she heard Sliver's music.
"It was in that moment where I thought, 'OK, I am meant to be here,'" he said.
Silver will host this season of WYSO's Veterans' Voices, a series exploring how military service inspires art.
Veterans' Voices is presented by Wright-Patt Credit Union. Additional support comes from the Dayton Ombudsman Veterans' Transition Team and Montgomery County Veterans Service Commission. Veterans' Voices is produced here at the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO.
