Hero's Encore

Hero's Encore a 9-month music and performance resiliency program guiding Heroes on a transformative journey from peer to performer.

Through music, creative expression, and community connection, the program fosters post-traumatic growth and post-service acculturation.

06/06/2026

Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt, was the oldest man and the only general to participate in the first wave of landings on D-Day.

Roosevelt previously served in the Army during World War I, earning several medals and commendations. After returning from the war, Roosevelt became the governor of Puerto Rico and, later, governor-general of the Philippines.

When the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, Roosevelt returned to active duty.

At 56 years old, he was the oldest man and the only U.S. general to storm the beaches in the first wave of the Normandy invasion.

His landing craft famously drifted off course on D-Day and reached shore about a mile south of its target on Utah Beach. Opting to simply fight from where they had landed, Roosevelt reportedly told his troops, "We’ll start the war from right here!”

Roosevelt was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on D-Day. His numerous other awards also included the Purple Heart.

82 years ago today, thousands of Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy during one of the most consequential mome...
06/06/2026

82 years ago today, thousands of Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy during one of the most consequential moments in modern history.

But one of the lesser-known truths about D-Day is that part of the invasion succeeded because the Allies convinced Germany the attack would happen somewhere else entirely.

They built fake armies.
Inflatable tanks.
False radio traffic.
Entire staged military movements designed to mislead the enemy.

It was called Operation Fortitude.

Even after troops landed in Normandy, Hi**er believed the real invasion was still coming elsewhere.

History remembers the strategy.
But behind that strategy were exhausted young men stepping into chaos, uncertainty, and fear anyway.

Many carried those experiences long after the war ended.

At Hero’s Encore, we spend a lot of time around Veterans and First Responders learning how service impacts people far beyond the uniform — how stress, survival, responsibility, and trauma can stay in the nervous system long after the mission is over.

That understanding creates a different kind of respect for generations like those who fought on D-Day.

Not romanticized.
Humanized.

Today we remember their courage, sacrifice, and humanity.

Nobody really talks about what PTSD feels like after the world moves on.When the uniform comes off.When the lights go ou...
06/02/2026

Nobody really talks about what PTSD feels like after the world moves on.

When the uniform comes off.
When the lights go out.
When the adrenaline is gone and your nervous system still doesn’t know you made it home.

Some people stop sleeping.
Some stop talking.
Some stop feeling like themselves at all.

And a lot of people get really good at pretending they’re fine.

At Hero’s Encore, we’ve learned something important:

Healing rarely starts with someone saying,
“I need help.”

Sometimes it starts with:
“Want to learn guitar?”
“Come hang out.”
“Let’s jam.”
“Come watch rehearsal.”

Then slowly…
the walls come down.

The laughter comes back.
The confidence comes back.
The person comes back.

We’ve watched Heroes who could barely make eye contact stand under stage lights and perform songs they wrote themselves.

Not because they were “fixed.”
Because they were finally seen.

PTSD Awareness Month matters.
But awareness alone isn’t enough.

People need purpose.
People need connection.
People need somewhere to belong after survival mode.

That’s what we’re building.

herosencore.org

Hero’s Encore Community —We have a challenge:Help us reach our $5,000 goal for the Heros Encore - Stage 1 Celebration , ...
05/27/2026

Hero’s Encore Community —

We have a challenge:

Help us reach our $5,000 goal for the
Heros Encore - Stage 1 Celebration ,
July 12.

We’re asking our community to take one action and help move this mission forward:

🎯 Create your own Givebutter fundraising profile and share it with friends and family
🎯 Start a Facebook fundraiser for Hero’s Encore
🎯 Introduce us to a business you know for sponsorship opportunities
🎯 Share our mission and invite someone to learn more
🎯 Join us on July 12 and bring someone with you

Question:

Who are 3 people you know that would support Hero’s Encore if they understood why this mission matters to you?

Every Hero, volunteer, supporter, instructor, and community member has a story.

Your voice carries this mission farther than any ad campaign ever could.

Join us, support the campaign, or create your fundraising page here:
https://givebutter.com/-stage-1-celebration

Memorial Day isn’t about all who served.It’s for those who didn’t make it home.After the Civil War, families and communi...
05/25/2026

Memorial Day isn’t about all who served.

It’s for those who didn’t make it home.

After the Civil War, families and communities began decorating the graves of fallen soldiers—placing flowers, saying their names, remembering them.

It became known as Decoration Day.

Over time, it became Memorial Day.

The purpose never changed.

We remember them.

Who are you honoring today?

05/22/2026

Most people think transformation looks dramatic.

In reality, sometimes it starts with:
“I don’t think I can do that.”

Then later:
“I think I just wrote a song.”

Kevin Dunn — Army Veteran, graduate of Hero’s Encore’s first cohort, and now part of our Encore Artist Development path — is living proof of what happens when people are given consistency, creativity, community, and a reason to keep showing up.

Today, Kevin is:
• Performing live in the community
• Writing original music
• Continuing to grow as an artist
• Taking on his first student

That last part matters.

Because the real measure of impact isn’t just personal growth.
It’s when growth begins creating growth in others.

At Hero’s Encore, our mission was never simply to teach guitar.

It was to help Veterans, First Responders, and Transitioning Service Members reconnect to purpose, identity, confidence, and community through a structured “Peer to Performer” journey.

Watching Heroes become mentors is how we know the model is working.

If you believe in creating more stories like Kevin’s, you can support the mission through a monthly or one-time donation at:
Hero’s Encore

Today we wear red to Remember Everyone Deployed.For those currently serving around the world — we see you, we appreciate...
05/22/2026

Today we wear red to Remember Everyone Deployed.

For those currently serving around the world — we see you, we appreciate you, and we haven’t forgotten you.

At Hero’s Encore, we’re proud to serve many who carried that responsibility long before they ever picked up a guitar or stepped onto a stage.

Freedom has a cost.
Today is a reminder of the people willing to carry it.

05/21/2026

People don’t need another reminder that mental health matters.

They need proof that people can come back from the edge.

This is Bryan.

Army National Guard combat Veteran.

At one point, he put his mental health on hold until it finally caught up to him.

Now?

He’s an instructor at Hero’s Encore.
Coordinates events.
Mentors other Heroes.
And performs live with GI Jams.

This isn’t awareness.

This is what rebuilding a life can look like.

If this story moved you, consider becoming a monthly supporter.

$10–$20 a month helps put another guitar in someone’s hands, keeps them connected to community, and reminds them they still have purpose.

🎸 Join us:
herosencore.org













Thank you to our partners at Bellevue University's Military Veteran Services Center for standing in solidarity with our mission 😎🎸✨

Address

1000 Galvin Road South
Bellevue, NE
68005

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