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00:02Welcome to Operation Healing Heroes. Join me in beautiful Clearwater, Florida as we feature
00:08retired U.S. Navy and Marine veteran Dave Bray USA. These are the faces of heroes. Many still
00:18bearing the invisible wounds of war, PTSD, and trauma. I left Vietnam, but Vietnam never left me.
00:30That's how I'm living. Why did I come back? Why are they gone and I'm not? You know, what have
00:37I done
00:37to deserve to be here? Our mission is listening and hearing, helping and healing for those who
00:49sacrificed and those who continue to sacrifice. The mission today and every day is Operation Healing
00:59Heroes. Brought to you by Great Clips.
01:09Dave Bray USA is a U.S. Navy and Marine Corps veteran who considers his music on a mission
01:16to be a continuation of his service to his country.
01:20If you still believe in America, let me see you stand up. Put your hand over your heart.
01:31Count your lucky stars, you're living free. Everybody stand up. Thank the Lord above.
01:41Oh, it's time to stand up for what you believe in.
01:46Hey, Dave. Welcome back to Orange County Choppers here in Clearwater, Florida, man. We're here for the
01:50second annual Salute to American Heroes. Can't wait. It's going to be an exciting night. Once again,
01:55I'm just honored to have you back. I know you were part of the first one and you rocked it
01:59and I can't
02:00wait to see what tomorrow brings, brother. So yeah, we're back in Orange County Choppers, dude. This place is
02:04amazing. The OCC Roadhouse down here in Clearwater, Florida. I'm looking forward to it. I know there's a lot of
02:09surprises and things going on that nobody knows about quite yet, but you guys put together a great show.
02:14I'm honored to be a part of it, honestly. Thanks so much, man. Well, where did your patriotism come from?
02:18Like, you know, growing up, were you a kid that always dreamed of going into the military or was it
02:22something like
02:23family roots or what was it? Well, listen, first and foremost, I grew up in a small town, America, southern
02:28Pennsylvania, and we didn't even, you know, people say we grew up in a one light town. We didn't even
02:32have
02:32one light. We had a roundabout. There was a World War I soldier in the middle of there. It was
02:37Jefferson,
02:37Pennsylvania, tiny little town, a lot of history, though, and growing up in that town, you know,
02:43there was not a ton to do, but there was a lot to do as a community, and we came
02:49together as a
02:49community a lot, and that was something that we did, whether it was Little League Baseball or scouting
02:54or sports or community events. We had a little carnival for the fire hall each year, and that little
03:01tiny town, we grew up separated from everybody else. It was like growing up in the 1930s. I was
03:05the paper boy, and my dad was a Navy enlisted guy. My brother went into the Navy right out of
03:11high
03:11school. I went into the Navy right out of high school. I had family that served in World War I,
03:15World War II. I think service is sort of embedded in our DNA, and I wanted to continue that. I
03:21wanted
03:21to do something special with my youth and with my young adulthood.
03:25So I understand where your patriotism came from. Where did your love of music come from?
03:29So honestly, growing up, I was born in England. A lot of people don't know that.
03:33And in preschool in England, you go to church and you sing the hymns. You know, three, four,
03:38and five-year-olds, we're singing the hymns in the church at an early age. And when we moved to
03:43America, my dad was an NSA guy. So when we came here and got restationed, we found the church in
03:48our community, and I was singing in the youth choir. And I found that, you know, singing together with
03:54people and bringing people together by music was something that, you know, resonated with me.
04:00At around 10 years old, Dave would recognize the healing power of music.
04:05We were 10-year-old kids, and four of us were riding to a baseball little league practice.
04:12And a good friend of mine, Corey, he was struck by a vehicle, and he passed away at 10 years
04:18old.
04:19And sadly, it devastated our town. It devastated the community. It shook us to our core. It was
04:29something we weren't coming back from. And I dug into music at that time, looking for some form of
04:35expression to deal with the anger issues I was having, to deal with the pain I was feeling, and to
04:42deal with, you know, the loss of a good friend. Operation Healing Heroes is brought to you by
04:50Great Clips, Orange County Choppers, and by Suzuki Marine.
05:01Operation Healing Heroes is a non-profit organization dedicated to documenting the lives of our U.S.
05:07military veterans. In addition, we also provide financial support and treatment for post-traumatic
05:13stress. Your donation will help heal our heroes.
05:33So, yeah, I mean, you talk about the power of music, and it's amazing what music is.
05:37It's amazing what music can do for the soul, isn't it?
05:38Amen. Amen. I'm a believer that music is the ultimate healer. When you connect with music,
05:43and you connect with song, it is something that can heal parts of your body you didn't even know
05:48were broken. So, you're in this small town. You found music. You've got a new passion. Why would
05:53you then go into the military? Okay. Well, we started this little band, but unfortunately,
05:59I went into the delayed entry program. I had already signed. I already committed going into my senior
06:03year. I was just, I'd sort of given up on that town. I'd given up on everything. I just wanted
06:09to go. I wanted to get away. Again, the tragedies of losing friends. Yep. That small town starts to
06:15get very, very, very claustrophobic. And you start to feel like, well, if I start growing roots here,
06:21there's not going to be enough room to grow for what I see for my future. And so, the Navy
06:26was one of
06:26those things. I actually was trying to get to California, Hawaii. I said, if I can get to California,
06:30Hawaii, I'll just, you know, get out of the Navy there. I'll be good to go. I want to buy
06:33a plane
06:34ticket. That's how broke we were. Nice. So, long story short, there was a calling. Again, with my
06:40dad being a Navy guy, my brother being a Navy guy, I wanted to follow in those footsteps. But yes,
06:44I
06:44wanted to escape that small town. I wanted to forget the pain that sort of went along with it. And
06:49I
06:50still can't drive through that town or go back to it without feeling that deep sense of loss.
06:55Dave was sent to Great Lakes Naval Station for basic training.
06:59Went to A school, Master of Arms at A school. Got a pretty good duty station at Charleston.
07:04And then in Charleston, I was with EMS. I was a crew chief of an ambulance unit, worked in the
07:09ER.
07:10Got a taste for that high-speed, low-drag kind of mentality and working in the ER and fast-paced
07:15medicine. And that's when I realized I needed to be with the Marines. You know, I talked to some
07:20other FMF docs that were now on hospital duty. And I wanted to do what they did. I wanted to
07:26see what
07:26they saw. I wanted to experience the experience they had with the Marines. And after that, man,
07:31I put in my papers and I was off to a field medical training battalion, graduated top dog out of
07:36there
07:36and Stapleton, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines. Hoorah.
07:41Dave was a Marine.
07:43This song goes out to the men and women who exemplify the meanings of the words honor, courage, and
07:51commitment. They are the few. They are the proud. They are the United States Marines.
08:12So I graduate from field medical service school and I'm just like gnawing at the bit to meet
08:16Marines. I want to be with the Marines. I've been working so hard for this moment. I grabbed my
08:21paperwork and I charged down to Camp Lezune. And by this time it might be 1130 in the morning.
08:26And I roll into 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines with my orders. And I meet this guy named Senior Chief
08:31Bump who's sitting behind the desk. He's jacked. He's finishing up a sandwich. And he's like,
08:36who are you? I was like, I was like, I'm, I'm FMF Doc Bray. I'm here for you, man. I
08:41just graduated.
08:42He's like, you got, you guys aren't supposed to be done until noon. I was like, well, I'm here,
08:46man. He's like, so what do you want to do? What do you want to do? I was like, just
08:49don't,
08:50don't put me in the, in the hospital. Don't put me in a white uniform. I don't want anything to
08:55do with
08:55that. Put me in the field. Let me be a go-getter. Let me go shoot guns. Let me jump
08:59out of
08:59helicopters. Let me do whatever. And he's like, oh, you're Bray. You're the, you're the top dog.
09:04I said, yeah. He's like, oh, you're going to stay platoon. I was like, I don't want to stay
09:08anywhere. I want to go. Right. So he's like, no, no, no, you're going to stay platoon, man.
09:13Surveillance target acquisition. You're going to be with the sniper teams. I was like,
09:17perfect. So he gave me, gave me my rights, goes meet your guys. And man, that was, that was an
09:24interesting moment. Um, I pulled into the barracks and these guys are all, it's like a Friday. These
09:29guys are drinking beer, cleaning guns. They got beards. They got hair. I'm like, all right, this
09:35Metallica blaring out in the, in the courtyard. And these guys just have all their gear out and clean.
09:40I was like asking questions. They're just like, Hey doc, you're a new guy. I was like, yeah. They're
09:45like, can you run? I was like, yeah, I can run. Can you swim? I was like, yeah, I can
09:49swim. They're
09:50like, okay, we'll see you tomorrow. 500. I'm like Saturday. Operation Healing Heroes is brought to
09:58you by Great Cliffs, Recon Boats, and by St. Croix Rods.
10:11Bobby, how's my hair? Nice. Good answer. Does anybody have any hair in the room that could give
10:19me some reference? If you'd like to see more behind the scenes footage, follow us on social
10:28media and subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you'd like to learn more and go deeper into the
10:34subject of healing, tune into the all new Operation Healing Heroes podcast, Feel the Heal. Hear from
10:40veterans, first responders, doctors, nonprofit leaders, and gold star families, as they share
10:46powerful stories of hope, healing, and resiliency. Tune in and Feel the Heal.
11:24Hey, Doc, you're our new guy? I was like, yeah. They're like, can you run? I was like, yeah,
11:28I can run. Can you swim? I was like, yeah, I can swim. They're like, okay, we'll see you tomorrow.
11:32500. I'm like, Saturday, you know? Yeah. Are you kidding me? No, we went out. We did a run. We
11:37ended
11:38up running like 10 mile pack run. It was amazing, dude. It was exactly what I was looking for. And
11:42I
11:42found a lot of good people in that state platoon, a lot of good brothers I still keep in contact
11:46today. Very cool. So tell me, what's the difference between the Navy and the Marine Corps serving in
11:50both of those branches? First off, better uniforms. You don't look like a Cracker Jack box when you're
11:56walking around in a Marine Corps uniform. I'll say this about probably most branches, but the Marine
12:03Corps, for sure, while you are in the Marine Corps, there is a brutal amount of weight and
12:11responsibility put on you as a, even as an FMF doc. But you even see it out of the, the
12:17Lance
12:18corporals and the corporals, the amount of responsibility they are given at such a young
12:22age. It does become something that is overwhelming. And for me, even as a, as a doc, it was
12:28overwhelming. And it just seemed like the ask was relentless from, from higher ups. And it
12:34became something that you almost, not that you despise, but something that you dreaded, you
12:39know, waking up every morning, you're like, oh my gosh, I'm still in the Corps. But once
12:42you get out all that work, all that effort, all that teamwork, all that responsibility
12:46you realize was on your shoulders and you look back at it. There is a, there is an essence
12:50of pride that comes. I don't believe from any other branch other than the Corps. So I get
12:55out of the military. I'm 22 years old, still a young man. No looking back. I'm going after
13:00music with everything I possibly have. And I'm going to chase this thing down. And about
13:05three days later, I'm on stage with the guys and I'm screaming my heart out. So
13:10I'm with that band for about seven years and yeah, we started getting some attention and
13:14we wanted to do something big. So we decided we were going to move to California. The time
13:18spent in California would be short lived. So the band is done in California. My wife,
13:24my soon to be wife and I drove back across country in a, in a U-Haul with about three
13:29things
13:29in the back. I don't know why we just didn't rent a car. We came back and I, I had
13:34basically
13:34given up. I quit music. I didn't want to feel that loss of brotherhood or kindred, you know,
13:41spirit and creativity. I didn't want to feel that loss again. I said, I'm done. And I just
13:46walked away and I just started working, started working in the workforce, logistics. And inevitably,
13:51um, I ended up working at BAE Systems building these Bradley assault vehicles. You know, we're
13:58at full fledged war in the Middle East at this point in time. And I felt like I was a
14:02part
14:02of that war effort in some way, shape or form. And I'm feeling this, this call back to service,
14:08this need to do something for our men and women who are serving overseas. So I'm feeling
14:12reconnected to my service. I'm working with these military vehicles and I'm, and I'm trying
14:16to, you know, find still my place in life. I keep having people ask me, when am I going
14:22to get back into music? And, uh, at that point in time is where, um, I actually saw a little
14:28advertisement on Facebook and it was someone that was looking for a rocker who was patriotic.
14:34And I answered the call. It was a label out of New York City. They didn't know they were
14:38looking for me, but they were looking for me. I got the job as the lead singer for the patriotic
14:43rock group, Madison rising.
14:51Take event fishing was created for those who served our great nation. A simple day of giving
14:56back has been the mission for over 20 years. Visit take event fishing.org to sign up for
15:03an event near you.
15:05If you'd like to recognize a special veteran in your life and see them featured on our website,
15:11log on to OperationHealingHeroes.org and click on the recognize button.
15:17Operation Healing Heroes is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, PowerPole, and by WileyX.
15:32So literally from a Facebook ad is how you become the lead singer and the front man for Madison
15:37Rising. Correct. Yeah. After numerous auditions and all these things in studio work. And I found,
15:43I found a, again, a calling back to music that I had forgotten about. You gotta remember, I quit
15:48music. I was done for five years. I put it all down. I'm laid off. Um, wife, got two kids,
15:54young
15:54boys at this point in time. Um, we're dealing with all kinds of issues. We're trying to get through
15:59each week. It wasn't just day by day. It was week by week. We were trying to survive. And, um,
16:04I found
16:05this audition notice on Facebook. It said, you know, are you a patriot? Uh, are you a rocker? And I
16:11was
16:11like, man, that's, that's me. My wife's like, yeah, that is you. You should look into this. So Madison
16:16Rising blows up. We're the most patriotic rock band in America. And, uh, we just got it really,
16:23really lucky. And I ended up writing a version of the Star Spangled Banner that's been heard
16:27by people all over the world.
16:36I wanted to do a patriotic rock band that would bring everyone from both sides, right or left,
16:41D or R, blue or red together. And so I stayed away from a little bit of the, the mud
16:48that was
16:48trying to be thrown out from that. And I put this thing together and I started sort of shaping it
16:53my,
16:54inside of my own vision. Dave Bray USA is born. And that is when music on a mission gets its
17:02legs.
17:02So that's when the fire really, really started. I saw what could be done. I saw where my talents could
17:09bring me and take me. Uh, my wife was all in, we wanted to do something special.
17:13And so long story short is we start music on a mission. Dave Bray USA is born and we decided
17:19to
17:19give everything to patriotism, to faith, and to bringing people together in this country.
17:24I love that you intertwined the faith into it. I'm a firm believer, my friend,
17:28that without God, there is no country. And it's one of those things that people
17:32don't understand that this country, a lot of them don't understand that this country was built
17:37on the foundations of faith principles. Yes. So tell me about where's Dave Bray USA now today?
17:43I tell you what, my, my family is so important to me, having them be a part of this business,
17:48having them to be a part of my music on a mission is so special. Again, my wife, Becky Bray,
17:53I could not do it without Becky Bray USA. She is booking PR outreach logistics. My two teenage sons
18:00who keep my spirit and my, my heart alive for this business and to continue the fire behind success.
18:05Uh, they also help with the printing and the, and the inventory and we print our own merchandise.
18:10So long story short is we're a microcosm of a business, uh, in this nation. And that's what
18:15this nation was built on. And, uh, it's, it's a testament that you can do anything. You can do
18:20anything if you've got the right people around you and you know, the music that, that is being created
18:25and the healing that's being done through music on a mission is absolutely incredible.
18:29When I was a young man, I put up my right hand, I swore to defend this land, with all
18:48that I had, some of my
18:54the catch 22 about this whole thing is that I started writing music so that I could help myself
18:59heal. I wasn't trying to write hit songs. I wasn't trying to do anything. I just wanted to heal my
19:04own spirit, my own soul. And it's because of the fact that I allowed that doorway to my heart to
19:10open
19:10up and allow that pen to hit the paper and those songs to come out that others were able to
19:15heal as
19:15well. So being here at OCC Roadhouse, operation healing heroes, salute to American heroes down
19:24here in Florida. I can't explain how important it is to me to be a part of events like this
19:30because I truly believe I bring more. I don't just bring entertainment. I'm not just here to,
19:35to, to shout and get people riled up. I'm here to help heal hearts. I'm here to do more than
19:40just
19:41sing and entertain. Music on a mission is about patriotism. It's about faith, but it's also about
19:46healing. First off, I want to present you with this custom St. Croix rod made by Thorne Brothers
19:51for you. It says Dave Bray in appreciation of your sacrifice and service. It's a custom rod
19:56that was made for you. And of course, you ain't going to look official without
20:01the amazing jerseys. I'm loving it. Operation Healing Heroes Jersey with Dave Bray on the front,
20:06Bray on the back. That's for you. Thank you so much. Brother, I appreciate you more than you'll ever know.
20:12Thank you so much. Thank you guys. Taking that fish in operation. Healing Heroes,
20:19man. Look at this. Let's go ride a bike and do some fishing. Let's do it, brother. Thank you so
20:23much. Thank you guys happy. Thank you. God bless.
20:31If you'd like to personally thank a veteran that you've seen in one of our episodes or nominate a
20:35veteran to be featured in a future episode, log on to our website, operationhealingheroes.org and click
20:42on the nominate button.
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