Guitar Vets & Band Together 4 Veterans Help NJ Veterans Find Joy, Purpose, and Camaraderie
By Jeff Cantor, NJ Veteran Magazine NJ Veterans Issue 2 Spring 26
For many veterans, the hardest part of service isn’t the deployment—it’s the quiet that can follow afterward. The unit dissolves. The routine changes. The sense of belonging can fade. And for veterans living with PTSD, isolation can become the default.
On the Jersey Shore, two Vietnam Veterans—Dennis Champ (U.S. Army) and John Fernandez (U.S. Navy)—are helping reverse that pattern with something deceptively simple: a guitar, a weekly class, and a reason to show up.
Supported by the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation (JSJBF) and powered by proceeds from the Veterans Music Fest, their two-track music initiative is giving veterans a practical skill and, just as importantly, rebuilding the camaraderie many miss after leaving the military.
It starts with beginners in Guitar Vets. It grows into teamwork and performance through Band Together 4 Veterans.
And along the way, it helps veterans heal.
A Mission Fueled by Music—and Local Impact
The Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation has long been rooted in music education and community support. As John Fernandez explained, JSJBF traditionally focused on education, scholarships, and keeping music alive for young people—but leaders saw an opportunity to expand that mission to veterans.
The idea was straightforward: raise funds so veterans could receive lessons and training—then build a program that could last.
John, the past vice president of JSJBF, helped lead multiple successful fundraising events (from venues like the Wonder Bar and Bar A) with a consistent mission: support local veterans where the results can be seen and felt. As he put it, national organizations matter—but helping local veterans creates immediate, visible impact. That local-first approach now directly supports two veteran music programs designed to reduce isolation, build confidence, and help veterans cope with PTSD.
Guitar Vets: A Beginner Program Built for PTSD Support
Dennis Champ is a Vietnam Veteran who served in the U.S. Army from 1970–1973, spending a year in Vietnam. Like many from his generation, he returned, went to work, and tried to move forward “keep the wolves away,” as he said—while carrying what he carried.
Years later, his connection to the Lakewood Vet Center helped spark a new purpose: teaching other veterans to play guitar.
“Music through time has always been a great deal,” Dennis said. “You get into music—you forget about other things in life.”
That’s the heart of Guitar Vets: a beginner-friendly program for veterans with little to no guitar experience, built specifically to support veterans dealing with PTSD.
Dennis describes guitar as both a focus and a challenge—something that requires attention, rhythm, coordination, and patience. In his words, it “puts you in a different place.” It gives veterans “something else to think about,” and it gets them out of the house—into a room with other veterans, practicing side-by-side.
Where Guitar Vets Meets
Dennis currently teaches at three locations each week:
- Manalapan Community Center – 114 Highway 33, Manalapan | Tuesdays, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM)
- Jackson Elks – (East Veterans Highway, Jackson) | Thursdays, 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
- Village 5 Community Center – Whiting | Fridays, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Dennis also shared a key feature that removes barriers for veterans who may not own an instrument: veterans who attend classes receive guitars, provided through program support, and are able to keep them as they continue participating.
“Some pick it up quick, some don’t,” Dennis said. “So I’m just fighting to get there.” It’s not about perfection. It’s about progress—and showing up.
Band Together 4 Veterans: Rebuilding the “Unit” Through a Band
For veterans who already have some experience, John Fernandez leads the next step: Band Together 4 Veterans, a program aimed at intermediate players that focuses on building something many veterans miss deeply after service—a unit.
John served in the U.S. Navy beginning in 1969, flying with Helicopter Squadron 8 and deploying on the USS Ticonderoga, with tours in Vietnam-era operations. He spoke candidly about the era—how service members weren’t always respected when they returned—and how time reshaped his view of what military service gave him: growth, capability, and lifelong connection.
He also spoke about music as a force that changes the internal weather.
Quoting Tom Petty, John reflected that music is “the closest thing we have” to something transformative—because it can change how you feel instantly. A sad song can bring you to sadness, a happy one can lift you up, and lyrics can connect you to meaning you didn’t have words for before.
When asked about the purpose of Band Together, John didn’t just talk about performance. He talked about isolation.
He described something he sees repeatedly: veterans who want help and want connection—yet pull back at the last minute because it’s hard to leave the house, hard to trust, and hard to rejoin community.
That’s where Band Together becomes more than music.
“We’re trying to rebuild that in a setting as a band,” he said—forming a group where veterans are bound together again, not by orders, but by shared practice, mutual support, and a common goal. And yes—the goal includes performance. But the deeper win is the reunion of community
How Band Together Works
This is the program’s first formal year, and John built it intentionally by partnering with Dennis—because Dennis knows the players: who is brand new, who is intermediate, and who is ready for a band setting.
John requested Dennis help identify veterans who would benefit, then directed them to rehearse with support from Ocean County Music in Point Pleasant Beach—a place John praised for its longstanding community impact, including work with both kids and veterans.
John’s ideal band needs what every band needs: bass, guitar, keys, drums, vocals— the building blocks of something bigger than the sum of its parts.
Veterans Music Fest: Where the Community Shows Up
Both programs are supported by proceeds from the Veterans Music Fest, which brings the community together around music and mission.
This year’s festival is scheduled for:
Veterans Music Fest
Saturday, November 7 | 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
DJ’s, 1801 Ocean Ave, Belmar, NJ
The festival features multiple bands, and John shared an important standard: every band that performs includes at least one veteran.
Leading the festival is LZ Jersey, an all-veteran band that has earned an unforgettable reputation with the crowd. John recalled how overwhelming the support was— people cheering them on not just for musicianship, but for what they represent: veterans showing up, taking the stage, and being celebrated.
John also made a point to credit the venue’s support, noting that DJ’s—along with owner Frank and Samantha and the staff—have provided an outstanding space, sound system, and consistent backing for veteran programming.
“Keep On Picking”: A Message to Veterans Who Feel Stuck
Toward the end of the interview, Dennis offered a simple challenge that carried real weight:
“Challenge yourself a little bit… get out of the house… stay busy, stay active. Keep on picking.”
John echoed that same idea with humor and honesty: it’s easy to “fall back on that couch” and let the days slip by. Music—whether you’re just learning a chord or playing on stage—gives veterans something that comes from within: joy, purpose, and connection.
And that may be the most powerful part: this isn’t something being done to veterans. It’s something veterans build from themselves, supported by other veterans who’ve walked the road.
How Veterans Can Join
The Veterans Foundation of America has partnered with the program to help streamline participation. Veterans who want to join can visit The Veterans Foundation of America www.thevfa.org, complete the intake form on https://thevfa.org/guitar-vets, and email it to Dennis Champ for consideration.
Dennis put it plainly: “My door is open… If you’re a vet, you’re in.”
Final Chord Guitar
Guitar Vets and Band Together 4 Veterans aren’t just music programs. They’re a bridge—from isolation back to belonging.
They offer structure without pressure, challenge without judgment, and the kind of camaraderie that veterans often miss most. Led by two Vietnam Veterans and supported by a local foundation committed to education and community, the programs prove something important:
Sometimes the path forward starts with something small—like learning your first chord. And then, one day, you look up and realize you’re part of a band again.
Keep on picking.