Music can be a powerful healing tool. No one knows that more than U.S. Army veteran Charlie Partin.
The Birch Bay resident served for 12 years as a forward observer, a soldier who observes a target’s position and relays information back to artillery units or aircraft to ensure accurate fire.
Partin served from 2005 to 2017, and was deployed three times to Afghanistan and once to Iraq.
“It’s a bittersweet moment in my life,” Partin said. “I gained a lot of lifelong partnerships, relationships and friendships. A lot of those things, unfortunately, were forged in fire.”
Partin is a Purple Heart recipient, an award given to those who have been injured or killed while in action due to enemy force.
On Partin’s third deployment to Afghanistan, a truck bomb, estimated to be about 2,000 pounds, hit a wall close to his unit’s dwelling. Partin was knocked unconscious.
“Once the dust settled, a lot of us were sent off because we were completely out of it,” Partin said. “Over the next couple of days I was in and out of consciousness.”
Similar to many veterans, Partin struggled with fitting in once returning from deployment and reintegrating into civilian life.
“Not to say that this is a bad thing, but nobody understands,” Partin said. “You hope that nobody ever does have to understand where you’re coming from, going through situations like that.”
Partin turned to music, which was always significant in his life. He decided to pursue music, in part, due to encouragement from his late father.
While deployed in Iraq, he taught himself the guitar. At one point, while stationed in Louisiana, Partin’s dad visited him. They went to a bar where Partin’s friend was playing music and Partin asked to play the only song he knew for his father.
“My dad came up to me kind of teary-eyed and proud, and he said, ‘Man, that was awesome, but make it yours,’” Partin said. “A couple of years ago it finally clicked, and I decided, ‘You know what, I want to do this. I want to go out, I want to play music and that’s all I want to do.’”
Partin quit his job working as an HVAC technician to pursue music full time. He now plays gigs across the state, sharing his heart through raw vocals and a strum of his guitar. Many of the melodies he writes are about the veteran experience.
“One song in particular that I wrote is called, ‘Sincerely, Uncle Sam,’ and that’s my tip of the hat to the overall feeling that a lot of veterans have, which is kind of being forgotten and not fitting in anymore,” he said.
Partin hopes more veterans are exposed to healthy and creative ways to cope with trauma.
“You’ll find yourself in a small hole, and then, sometimes unknowingly, you continue digging and that hole gets deeper,” Partin said. “The thing about a hole, though, is you can climb out and there’s always a hand reaching down. You just may not see it.”
Partin will perform at 6 p.m. on Veterans Day at Beach Cat Brewing, 7876 Birch Bay Drive, suite 101. His November shows will include stops in Lynden, Sedro-Woolley Snohomish and Leavenworth.
Those who want to learn more about Partin’s music and upcoming events can find him at Charlie Partin Music on Facebook or @charliepartinmusic on Instagram.
