Yahoo News Scotty Hasting Reflects on Trip to France for the 80th Anniversary of D-Day: 'Changed My Life' (Exclusive)
The country artist attended with organization Walk Among Heroes and spent time with World War II veteran Dennis Bolt
Dawn Delvo/Black River Entertainment
Scotty HastingFormer Army Infantryman turned singer/songwriter Scotty Hasting still has trouble finding the words to describe the pain he found himself in on April 21, 2011.
"It's kind of taking a fire poker, putting it in the fire until it's bright red and then slowly pushing it through your skin,” Hasting, 36, tells PEOPLE in a revealing interview about the terrifying moment he was shot 10 times while fighting in Afghanistan. "The pain was terrible. But the hardest part was smelling what it smells like when you smell your own skin burning. That is the part that still messes with me.”
Dawn Walters/TSP Creative
I first met COL Keith Nightingale (RET) at Countess Dorothea de la Houssaye’s Normandy Institute at her Chateau Bernaville for the Big Red One Dinner. He is an absolute legend in the military community, not only as a soldier but also as a person. He is without a doubt the most knowledgeable person in Normandy about the history of our soldiers, what they did, and how they did it. He is a wealth of information. It's unbelievable to listen to him talk.
Dawn Walters/TSP Creative
This is me hanging out with some of the active military members who attended the D-Day events that week. Having them around made me realize that what we are doing means something. To have them come up to me and say that it's so inspiring to see one of us, a Veteran, up there doing what I'm doing, it meant a lot. In a way, it relit the flame inside of me to keep moving forward and pushing to do this not only for myself but for them.It's this mess that Hasting still faces 13 years later, wrapped up in a mix of post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] and anxiety and depression that the “I’m America” hitmaker says he continues to battle on a day-to-day basis. But it's this battle that the Army veteran found a way to temporarily conquer last month when invited to represent the United States in Normandy, France during a week-long celebration commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
"The importance of what we were doing outweighed the PTSD and the depression and the anxiety that I was feeling,” explains the Purple Heart recipient. “You were overwhelmed by emotions everywhere you went. And so, it was in the back of my mind, but it wasn't really a thought that I had. I was too busy trying to just be in every moment."
Dawn Delvo/Black River Entertainment
This is the first time that I met Dennis Boldt. The funny part about meeting him was when I first walked up to Dennis, I shook his hand, and he said, "Alright, well, who are you?" We connected on such a deep level after that.
Dawn Walters/TSP Creative
This was a very intimate performance that we weren't sure was actually going to happen. I was able to perform a couple of songs for World War II Veteran Dennis Boldt next to the fire. At one point during this performance, I was singing "Whiskey in the Bottle," and Dennis kind of chuckled a little bit at the lyrics. It made me laugh because it took me completely off guard, and it made me screw up the words, but it was such a great moment with Dennis.Related: Veterans Return to Normandy on 78th Anniversary of D-Day and Remember Life-Changing Moments of WWII
Brett Boyett
This picture was taken from the steps looking to the left down the street from the mayor's office. I have never seen so many people in such a small area. When I looked down the street that way, it was almost breathtaking to see how many people were showing up to commemorate what had happened that day 80 years ago.
Dawn Walters/TSP Creative
And there was many a moment to bask in during the 10-day, life-altering trip provided by the organization Walk Among Heroes, including the moments Hasting says he was blessed to spend with World War II veteran Dennis Bolt. The trip served as Bolt’s first time being back on the same soil he fought upon when he was just 19 years old.
"I played the [Trace Adkins'] song ‘Til the Last Shot’s Fired’ and there's a part in it that talks about being on the beach in June of 1944, and as soon as I said that, [Bolt]'s eyes just kind of glazed over," Hasting tearfully remembers. "He was transported into another world in that moment, and I could see it. And it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my entire life."
Making the moment even more special was that Hasting then had the chance to walk upon the very same sand that Bolt once did and the same sand that so many men lost their lives upon on that fateful day in 1944.
Dawn Delvo/Black River Entertainment
This was Utah Beach. I have never felt so small in a moment as I did when I walked to the water at low tide and then looked back to see how far those soldiers would have had to run, dodge, or crawl to safety. It was incredible, and it humbled you immediately.
Dawn Delvo/Black River Entertainment
This is another photo from Utah Beach. The most incredible thing about this picture is that there are kids just running around and playing on the beach. To think that 80 years ago, this was the site of one of the most horrific events that has ever happened in the world—let alone our country—and now it's filled with children's laughter because of what our veterans did."I've never felt as small as I did in that moment, walking Utah Beach," remembers Hasting, who performed his rousing songs "Red White and Blue" and "I'm America" for countless veterans and military members throughout the week.
"We went out when it was low tide, and just the amount of space between safety and the water was just so overwhelming that I couldn't just stand there and look at it. I had to walk out and go see it. And then you turn around and you look how far of a distance it is from the water to where they would've been safe to run, it’s just unbelievable. It's so far. These people went through hell in that moment."
Jacquelynn Henderson/TSP Creative
This event was incredible. The Normandy American Cemetery is breathtaking. It is so beautiful, but then you walk out into the rows of crosses, and it truly breaks your heart to see how many people we lost at that time. The ceremony was the first time we saw all 165 World War II Veterans in one place. It was amazing to see them all and realize that over 100 World War II veterans are still with us today. It was a beautiful ceremony.
Jacquelynn Henderson/TSP Creative
This picture wasn't supposed to happen. We were at another event when we heard that Dennis wanted to see me again and was looking for me. After receiving that text, we immediately left the event to be with Dennis. When I got there, I went up to Dennis, and after I said hi, he said, "Are you going to sing for me?" And I said, "Well, Dennis, if you want me to, I will." And he said, "Well, I got new batteries in my hearing aids, and I got them turned up, so let's go." Then I sang some songs for him and gave him his own personal concert. It was such a great moment.Related: Dozens of WWII Vets Flown to France to Mark D-Day's 80th Anniversary: 'Our Duty and Honor'
Multiple performances and memorable experiences later, Hasting returned to the States with the hope that more Americans could take a similar trip.
"I think it would be so important for anyone who lives in this country to go over there during that celebration and to see what America means to someone else," says Hasting, who even received the honor of performing on the main stage in the Square of Sainte-Mère-Église for more than 20,000 people.
Dawn Walters/TSP Creative
This is the square of Sainte-Mère-Église. It was the first time I've ever been on a stage and seen a sea of people where you can't see the ground - it's just people, thousands of people. The atmosphere was incredible. It was great walking out on stage to see all of these people, especially those who didn't know who I was. They were from a completely different country than I'm from, but they were so incredibly supportive of and interested in what we were doing at that moment, and it was infectious.
Dawn Walters/TSP Creative
This picture is so cool because we are sitting in Countess Dorothea de la Houssaye’s Normandy Institute at her Chateau Bernaville, which was once occupied by the German forces and then taken back by the United States. World War II Veteran Dennis Boldt and I did an interview there and played a couple of songs, which was one of my favorite memories from the trip. This picture represents the history we were surrounded by."Being here in this country, we get caught up in every day and all the crap that life throws at you, and you kind of lose the ability to see what we have. And then you go over there, and you see just this mass appreciation and this overwhelming sense of just loving America."
And it’s this love that will forever burn within the heart of Hasting.
"This trip changed my life," Hasting concludes. "It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen, and it was truly one of the greatest things that I've ever gotten to do and probably ever will get to do."
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