By: Robert Cavuoto
Five Finger Death Punch have a huge following in the military and the group has been paying it forward by helping our heroes suffering with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD].
The band has partnered with a multitude of national and local veterans help organizations, started a public awareness campaign, and are raising money for these organizations by selling collectable jerseys online.
They even created a video that is intended to increase knowledge about the plight of veterans suffering from PTSD and its larger repercussions, affecting their mental and physical health, family life, as well as their assimilation back home after service.
People can go to the Five Finger Death Punch site to learn more about PTSD and see how they can help our troops.
I had the chance to speak with guitarist, Zoltan, to discuss the group’s passion for helping our military brethren who need our support, once they are home.
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Robert Cavuoto: How did you get involved raising awareness about PTSD?
Zoltan: Much of our fan base consists of veterans, active military members and soldiers, so we are very close with these people. We also visit a lot of military bases around the world, like in Germany, Japan, and the Middle East.
Lyrically our songs are about standing up and fighting for yourself and I think it has built a contention between us and the soldiers. A lot of them have become our personal friends and we are always looking to hire veterans when going out on tour.
We have forged these relationship and we have seen some of them going through hard times with the PTSD.
As we are now part of this community, we too are learning more about PTSD and the numbers of people affected by PTSD is just astonishing.
We knew it was bad, but didn’t know it was this bad. On average 22 veterans take their lives each day. That’s one every 65 minutes. These are the strongest guys of society, the guys that do a job that none of want to do.
You and I don’t go to work wondering if we will might night make it back. They are bred and trained to survive and how bad can it be that they are taking their own lives?
On any given day, there are 300,000 veterans homeless on the streets in the U.S. How can that happen in the most developed counties in the world?
We realized if this is going to change, it has to change with public awareness. The same way that we were shocked by these numbers, the general public also will be equally shocked.
Robert: Are service men and woman reluctant to come forward about this disorder and seek treatment?
Zoltan: Absolutely, there are many problems how and why this happens. Soldiers are bred to survive, they have to be tough, both mentally and physically.
It’s not in their nature to come forward and say, “I’m depressed or experiencing issues”. They feel it’s not honorable and ashamed to get help.
I hope, with this campaign, they can realize that they are not alone. For example, if they get shot they will call a medic for help. They should treat PTSD the same way, as the brain is an organ that can be damaged.
We are hoping to shed light on the organizations that are out there to help them. They don’t want to talk to civilians because they can’t relate. We have organizations that can speak with veterans to make the connection. They can talk to people like themselves. Another aspect of this campaign is not just to educate the general public, but [to inform] where soldiers can seek help.
Robert: You created site, www.5fdp4vets.com that provides resources to serviceman and woman?
Zoltan: We asked ourselves what else can we do, so we built a website that lists 40 organizations that can offer help.
We looked to provide all the possible resources on one website and included a music video to help portray the issues and facts about PTSD.
We didn’t want a video of us on a mountain top with our hair blowing in the wind [Laughing]. We wanted it to hit the mark. To hit America in the chest with this and portray what happens on an emotional level, by including stats on the situation, so people can read what’s happen. We had a bunch of veterans helping with the video too.
We also have a campaign where fans can purchase a special jersey to help the cause. Any profits coming from these donations go to the organizations that truly make a difference in veterans’ lives.
We put aside a modest goal of $50,000 for the campaign. We could have donated the money, but it doesn’t raise public awareness. It’s about getting the community involved. We reached our goal in 5 hours and right now it’s up to $140, 000.
These organizations can make a difference, if we give them some money.
Robert: You recently did a press conference at Nellis Air Force Base, how did that go?
Zoltan: There were about 400 to 500 soldiers that came and we showed them the video then had a meet and greet. It seems like we are making a dent, as the video already has 800,000 views in 48 hours. It’s really taking off and will make a difference.
The VA is trying but they don’t have the budget or the infrastructure to help all these people.
Keep in mind that there are over 4 million solders who served in the last two conflicts.
Robert: How are you affected when a solider comes up to you to tell you what they have been through or how the band has helped them get you through a difficult time in their life.
Zoltan: It validates what we do! At the end of the day we are a band that makes music and entertains on stage. We take our job seriously, but it’s not as serious as being a solider and risking your live. Everybody has a calling or talent, ours is being musicians.
When one single person comes up to you and tells you that you did something that helped save their life or made a huge impact in their life, it validates what you do. You are no longer a guy jumping around entertaining, you are making a difference.
So many times these stories are heart wrenching, you have to put on your sunglasses because your eyes tear up from the stories. They are so astonishing.
Robert: After the press conference you went right into the studio to record some songs. What can you tell us about them?
Zoltan: So far, we have four songs recorded and they are slamming. We are trying to get a head start on the next CD for 2015. We never really have time off [Laughing]
If you look at our schedule, we are either on the road touring or performing at private military shows.
We don’t have time off. It’s not really work, you wanted this your whole life. It’s a and one in a million shot to get successful, so creating music is important.
Hopefully, we find more studio time so we can release another CD in 2015.
