PHOENIX — The serenity that flows from Stephen Bradford’s guitar is at odds with the chaos he saw in war. Those two forces, serenity and chaos, competed to control Bradford’s life after he left the battlefield.
Eventually, the serenity won. But the victory is not guaranteed.
“I still get broken. My supporters and donors call me and say, ‘hey how are you doing’? PTSD is a lifelong struggle.”
Bradford inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame
Bradford, who was inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame in October, uses the healing power of music to assist himself and other veterans coping with PTSD.
“A lot of the people I work with, they are getting their highs from substances that are actually killing themselves,” Bradford told 12News. “With music, you get this euphoria.”
The Army veteran teaches adaptive music to veterans with disabilities, volunteers for Phoenix Police, and founded Instruments 4 Success, a nonprofit that has facilitated 500 donations of instruments to veterans and their kids.
Struggling with addiction and mental illness
Bradford served 8 years and was deployed twice to the Gulf War.
“In combat I took human life. That’s what we were trained to do, I guess. But I came back to the real world and I needed help,” Bradford said.
Bradford spent several years using substances to cope with flashbacks and nightmares. He attempted suicide on multiple occasions.
“Twice, I actually had to be resuscitated by the fire department or police,” Bradford said.
Then came a turning point in 2009.
“I turned over my life, my soul, my mind to the VA healthcare system and luckily I had some great doctors to help me get through that,” Bradford said.
Learning to play the guitar again
Bradford also re-discovered his passion for music. As a teen attending Deer Valley High School in Glendale, he played in rock bands and idolized frontman Sebastian Bach of Skid Row. A 1988 video shows Bradford belting lyrics to a Guns and Roses song during a school talent show.
Returning to the stage as an injured veteran would be challenging. Exposure to pollution in the Middle East damaged Bradford’s vocal cords, he said, hampering his ability to sing. Three traumatic brain injuries caused him to forget how to play the guitar.
“It was discouraging. I probably forgot more songs than most people ever learn to play,” Bradford said.
Re-learning to play wasn’t just mental. Three fingers on Bradfords left hand are not fully functional because of an injury in combat. He had to learn to play the guitar differently.
“It’s a magical thing”
Once he re-kindled his musical skills, he began helping other veterans learn to play and obtained donated guitars for them. He became an instructor for the national nonprofit, Guitars 4 Vets, and launched his own local nonprofit in 2020. The Tempe business Mike Nye Instrument Repair supports Bradford’s charity by refurbishing the used instruments.
Some benefactors of the charity have never played an instrument before.
“They start going and pretty soon they’re better than I am,” Bradford said.
He collaborates with veterans on stage for events and teaches classes at ASU. Bradford also assisted ASU researchers on a study showing links between playing music and coping with trauma.
“When you play music and people applaud and say, 'hey, good job', it’s a magical thing.”
How to help
Go to the Instruments 4 Success website to support Bradford’s charity and find a list of drop-off locations for new or used instruments.
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