When Frank and Christina Dugie took over the Phoenix chapter of Guitars for Vets in December 2024, their first problem was finding somewhere to hold a class. Frank called Dave Melka, then commander of American Legion Post 91 in Chandler, and told him about the program.
“He immediately said yes,” Frank says.
The first class met at the post the following January: five veterans, four volunteers, and a plan to teach guitar one week at a time. Bruce Brindley of Brindley’s Music in Chandler helped get donated instruments ready, offering repairs at a reduced rate.
The Dugies’ chapter has since grown to seven locations across the Valley. The Chandler location is the Phoenix chapter's headquarters, and it is where their work began.
More Than Music Lessons
Guitars for Vets is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving at-risk U.S. veterans affected by post-traumatic stress disorder and other service-related trauma, according to the organization. Its 10-week program pairs veterans with volunteer guitar instructors for lessons tailored to their needs. There is no charge for the lessons or the guitar each graduate receives.
“Our weekly guitar lessons are individually tailored to help veterans learn at their own pace, while accommodating any physical or emotional challenges,” Frank explains.
That might mean spending more time on a song or finding a way to play that works for someone with a physical limitation. The instructor and student work through the lessons together, adjusting as they go.
A beginner guitar player needs room to make mistakes, both Frank and Christina note. Guitar takes repetition: pressing strings until a chord sounds clear, changing position before the next beat, remembering where a song goes. None of that happens all at once. The weekly lessons give students time to return to what challenged them and hear what has improved.
For Christina, music also offers veterans something that can be difficult to find in conversation.
“We use the motto ‘Where words fail, music speaks,’” she says. “This means that playing guitar often gives the veteran a way of expressing themselves when the words just won’t come out.”
According to the nonprofit’s research, music can help reduce anxiety, build self-esteem, and ease symptoms such as panic attacks, nightmares, and flashbacks. Guitars for Vets cites a study of its students that found a 21% improvement in PTSD symptoms and a 27% decrease in related symptoms of depression. The study identified learning and playing guitar as primary contributors to those changes.
After 10 lessons, each veteran plays songs they have learned in front of friends and family at a graduation. Then comes a new guitar and accessory pack to take home.
What started as a weekly appointment can become something they practice alone, share with family, or bring to a gathering with other players.
In Chandler, that gathering has a name: Operation Desert Strum. The chapter holds the veterans’ guitar circle every Tuesday at American Legion Post 35. It is a chance to play without the structure of a lesson and spend time with others who enjoy making music.
“It is a fun veterans’ guitar circle where they can connect, talk, and play music,” Frank says.
Rooted in Chandler
The classes at Post 91 have grown from those first five students.
“Currently, Chandler has 10 veterans in lessons,” Christina says. “In the last 18 months, we have graduated 31 veterans.”
That growth is welcome, though the chapter is far from meeting the need.
“Across Maricopa County, we have 130 veterans on the waiting list,” she says. “We are always looking for new locations to support veteran demand.”
The numbers bring the challenge into focus. Each veteran needs an instructor who can meet weekly, and every new class needs somewhere to gather. Chandler’s first class was possible because a Legion post opened its doors, Brindley helped with the instruments, and volunteers gave their time.
Frank and Christina share that Chandler residents can help by telling veterans about the free program, donating money or gently used guitars, or volunteering to teach. Guitar players who can give just one hour a week could help the chapter reach more veterans on its waiting list.
“We can always put to great use any monetary donations or gently used guitars,” Christina says.
For veterans who have completed the course, the Tuesday circle offers a reason to take that new guitar out of its case and meet up again. For those still waiting, additional volunteers and places to teach could mean a first lesson sooner.
Veterans interested in lessons, and residents who want to volunteer or donate, can email Christina Dugie at az.phoenix@guitarsforvets.org or find the Valley chapter on Facebook at Facebook.com/G4VPhoenix.
“Currently, Chandler has 10 veterans in lessons. In the last 18 months, we have graduated 31 veterans.”