Operation Hat Trick

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Operation Hat Trick The OFFICIAL page for the Operation Hat Trick program www.operationhattrick.org OHT supports the recovery of wounded service members and veterans.

10/15/2026

Let Down In The Grave

9/15/26

CJ Solar

Justin Beall

Todd Greet

Pulled myself up from the mud

I made sure that I was tough

Head down eyes up

Saw my fair share of the blood

Got a thousand mile stare

I hold it and I’m there

Did my job and I was done

Then the s**t really begun

War ain’t got nothing on love

Came back to what was mine all gone

Just me a my old dog

Bullet holes in the wall

Just when I start to think

Got nowhere left to fall

I’m let down in the grave

Cold dark and ashamed

Brick by brick, Chain by chain

My whole life ripped away

Big brother let me down

Used me up and spit me out

Lost my mind and put me in a cage

Like I’ve been let down in the grave

I’m as free as I wanna be

I’m the only one in control of me

I love Jesus and my babies

Finally overcame the machine

Getting over my past

Didn’t know if I’d make it back

I was let down in the grave

Cold, dark, and ashamed

Brick by brick, chain by chain

Thought my whole life was ripped away

Big brother let me down

Used me up and spit me out

But Jesus met me in that cage

And I walked out of the grave

10/14/2026

Wear it Wednesday is lookin' good this week thanks to...
’47 - OHT hat
Colosseum Athletics - Minnesota State tee, Notre Dame hoodie, Utah tee


10/13/2026

🎶 Some songs are written to be heard. Others are written to help someone heal.

For Nashville singer-songwriter and OHT Ambassador Joel Shewmake, the songs created at our annual Songwriter’s Retreat hold a meaning that goes far beyond the music industry.

In this installment of our OHT Impact Interview Series, Megg Thompson of Team OHT sits down with Joel to reflect on what makes this experience so powerful.

As a professional songwriter, Joel knows the excitement of writing a song that could become a hit or find its way onto the radio. But at this retreat, success looks a little different.

It's watching a veteran hear their own story put into music. It's seeing the weight of experiences carried for years, sometimes decades, begin to lift. It's knowing that a song can give someone something they may have never been able to put into words themselves.

And while both kinds of songwriting have their place, Joel reminds us that the gift of helping a veteran tell their story is truly priceless.

We're incredibly grateful to Joel, CreatiVets, the Travis Mills Foundation, and everyone who helps make this experience possible.

This is why we do what we do 🇺🇸
Together, we make a difference.

veteran recovery • songwriting • healing through music • OHT Ambassador • veteran stories • mental health

10/08/2026

🎶🇺🇸🎶Round 2 of the songs created by veterans at the songwriting retreat with CreatiVets at the Travis Mills Foundation.
🎶🇺🇸🎶What a tremendous week of healing and new friends that became family!

Song lyrics:
I’m a Rebel

Wesley Rincker/Seth Cole /Joel Shewmake

9.15.26

I learned how to be tough from the get go,

I’ve fought both man & devil,

Wasn’t told that I was loved & never felt so,

So, I grew up to be a rebel

At 17 I became Of service,

Thinkin’ ain’t much could be much worse than here,

I saw part of the world through windshield of a humvee

Now since the Fog of war I can’t see clear.

Chorus

But here I am,

By the grace of God still standin’

& fightin’, somehow still survivin’

Here I am, won’t stand down, gonna hold my ground

I won’t surrender, I won’t settle,

By God, I’m a rebel

I met an angel at the gates of hell,

She tried to lift me higher

I poured gas upon the flame,

& she walked with me through the fire,



I’m grateful for what I don’t & what I do have

My life, wife & my family,

I can do everything through Jesus Christ,

Because it’s Christ who strengthens me,

Chorus

But here I am,

By the grace of God still standin’

& fightin’, somehow still survivin’

Here I am, won’t stand down, gonna hold my ground

I won’t surrender, I won’t settle,

By God, I’m a rebel

Chorus

But here I am,

By the grace of God still standin’

& fightin’, somehow still survivin’

Here I am, won’t stand down, gonna hold my ground

I won’t surrender, I won’t settle,

By God, I’m a rebel

By God, I’m Gods rebel.

I’m a rebel.

10/07/2026

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Wear it Wednesday is wild this week with our new Fanatics collection that just dropped!
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Which one is your favorite?

Champion
Image One
Fanatics

10/06/2026

🎶 The OHT Impact Interview Series is back!

And we couldn’t think of a better way to begin than with OHT Ambassador and Nashville singer-songwriter Joel Shewmake.

Joel has spent his career writing songs for some of country music’s biggest names, but his work with CreatiVets has given him the opportunity to use that talent in an entirely different way—helping veterans put experiences, memories, and stories into words and music.

We’re also incredibly proud to have Joel representing Operation Hat Trick as an OHT Ambassador, using his platform and his passion for veterans to help share our mission with even more people.

We had the pleasure of spending time with Joel at our recent Songwriter’s Retreat in Maine, where he treated us to a pretty incredible private performance 🎸

Here’s a little glimpse.

And stay tuned—we sat down with Joel to talk about his work with veterans, what being an OHT Ambassador means to him, and why he continues to show up for this community 🇺🇸

veterans • songwriting • Nashville songwriter • OHT Ambassador • veteran advocacy • music and healing

10/05/2026

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Fanatics has dropped OHT merch from Champion Image One Fanatics that will keep you coming back!
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸We’re proud to see OHT featured on the Fanatics homepage. Head on over!


10/01/2026

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸The OHT/Creativets/Travis Mills songwriting retreat is always a special week each year where veterans write with songwriters to heal through the art of song!
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Enjoy!

No Name Town

Douglas "Rand" Shotton, Russel Carney, Tyler Stevenson

(Well im back here again, I just walked through the door, I've been to places like this before. So I choose the stool in the corner of the room and take a breath. Then I notice the fan above my head)

It's just another night, another solo flight Sitting in this corner makes me feel alright There's beauty in the memories | revisit every time I'm here There's a mirror there hanging on the wall The reflection I see helps me recall All the places and the faces all the love and lives that were lost

It was a lifetime lived a lifetime ago I've had a front row seat to an unreal show It wasn't just a movie it was the reality I know Every time I'm here and I look back Try to make sense of the blood in the cracks The mirror reflects, now it seems What I see was my reality Sitting here somehow I feel sane And safe underneath the shadow of the blades.

I've got a photo here of the setting sun

Diving in the water it reminds me of Gods beauty shining down on the darkness from up above

it was a lifetime lived a lifetime ago I've had a front row seat to an unreal show It wasn't just a movie it was the reality | know Every time I'm here and I look back Try to make sense of the tears in the cracks. The mirror reflects, now it seems What I see was my reality Sitting here somehow I feel sane And safe underneath the shadow of the blades

Every now and then, when I feel down I find another stool in some no name town I take a breathe, and I look around Underneath the blades life is different now

Every time I'm here and I look back Try to make sense of the blood in the cracks The mirror reflects, now it seems What I see was my reality Sitting here somehow I feel sane And safe In the shadow of the blades

09/30/2026

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸We came back for more because Merch Monday wasn't enough!
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Wear it Wednesday features Image One and Champion on Fanatics! It seriously can't get better than this!

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Hampton, NH
03842

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