Near the end of the Mississippi River, not too far removed from the faint hums of downtown New Orleans jazz, you can find VFW Post 8973 — a place that understands how music can move us in powerful ways.
One night in the fall of 2023, while at a Post event, Post 8973 members Chet Pierson and Jason Davey were discussing ways to address veteran suicide, as well as ways to increase veterans’ access to mental health resources.
Knowing that veterans often feel isolated when transitioning from the military back to civilian life, Pierson and Davey wanted to create an environment that welcomed veterans facing these challenges — one that reinforced that it’s okay to seek mental health resources such as therapy.
With their musical background and living in a city famous for its musical heritage, Pierson and Davey wanted to infuse live music into their message with the idea that music could help people find an outside connection.
And so, Vet Jams was born.
BY VETERANS, FOR EVERYONE
Pierson and Davey began getting together every Wednesday to practice at Post 8973 in New Orleans. Every now and then, local musicians would join them and participate in small shows for VFW members. However, it wasn’t until members Javier Cantu and Becca Doughty joined that Vet Jams’ identity began to “solidify,” according to Davey.
“We don’t call ourselves a band, but rather a community of veterans and musicians,” Davey said. “By creating weekly meetups and shows, we encourage social interaction.”
Although Davey, Pierson, Cantu and Doughty make up the core of Vet Jams, any veteran, musician or civilian is more than welcome to join. Even those who aren’t experienced with any instruments are welcomed onto the stage.
“We once had a veteran just tap drumsticks together,” Post 8973 Commander Gaby Swanson said.
Davey credits all of the musicians they’ve worked with over the years, helping increase the reach of their message.
“We’ve had more than 20 different musicians play with Vet Jams over the past three years,” Davey said. “It takes a village, and with all the input and support from not only veterans, but our community, we’ve played more gigs and expanded our messaging reach.”
Swanson elaborated on the welcoming nature of Vet Jams.
“I can just come to a Vet Jams session and know that there is that immediate camaraderie, and I know that I can be comfortable expressing myself.”
Vet Jams is known for covering all kinds of music at their shows. From Texas-style country music such as Robert Earl Keen to alternative rock and New Orleans blues, the band members experiment with all kinds of genres.
EXPANDING THEIR SOUND
Vet Jams hopes to play a show in every city in the country one day.
“Our long-term vision is to have a yearly jam session in a new city that expresses the musical uniqueness of our [New Orleans] culture and community,” Davey said. “All of this would center around the
message that brought us together — the need to demystify our brothers and sisters to seek free mental health therapy and stop veteran suicide.”
By playing in other cities, Vet Jams hopes to meet and connect with new veterans.
“We meet new veterans at almost every show, and we encourage each other to play music, to seek help and to join veteran-focused organizations like VFW,” Davey said.
Currently, Vet Jams is hoping to expand their shows to neighboring Mississippi. They’re also working on new music and are hoping to release their first album this year.
‘CONNECTING WITH SOMETHING OUTSIDE OURSELVES’
Pierson and Davey have both struggled with mental health issues related to their past service in the military.
“We talk often on the mic about the importance of therapy,” Davey said. “Many of us attended military training in the 1980s and ’90s, a time when you didn’t talk about mental health. We were trained to overcome any weakness, to work through it on our own or with our unit. Post-military, we often lose those support systems. Going through major trauma, like combat, or losing friends or family members, can have a huge impact on our well-being.”
Davey adds that by engaging with mental health professionals and getting tools that can help veterans overcome their past traumas, it can help them lead happier and more engaged lives.
“Veterans are not alone,” Davey said. “We’re combat veterans; we’ve been there, and we’ve made it to the other side. We encourage anyone to come out and listen to some music, talk to the person next to you and join our community.”
Davey and Pierson believe that music, whether playing or listening, is a way to escape oneself.
“Music is a way to connect with something outside ourselves,” Davey said. “It’s a universal language and naturally lifts the spirits. Getting out of the house, listening to music, meeting new people helps us realize there’s a brighter future.”
Vet Jams is eager to continue their musical journey of helping veterans and other members of their community who may be suffering in silence.
This article is featured in the 2026 May/June issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Danny Cook, senior writer for VFW magazine.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.vfw.org ’
