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Beautiful Music Replaces The Ugly Scenes in Veteran's Head
By John Mooney,
2 days ago
Rob Fess, a decorated Afghan War veteran from South Plainfield who now suffers from PTSD, was profiled by Mark Laita on Soft White Underbelly (available on YouTube). Credits: Courtesy of Mark Laita
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ -- Rob Fessock grew up in South Plainfield, graduated from South Plainfield High School and attended Towson University, where he joined ROTC. I was partying and didn’t have direction until I joined the military. He continued with ROTC at Loyola College, and then I graduated as Second Lieutenant in 1998.
He was a captain with the 58th Infantry Brigade Combat Team stationed in Iraq during the surge in 2007, and also served in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012 with the 29th Infantry Division.
“I was attached as an adviser to Kabul city police. That is where I saw a lot of violence towards U.S. forces and coalition forces. It was pretty rough; our job was to respond to all the terrorist attacks in Kabul province,” said Fessock, who served in the military as a reservist for 16 years.
“During the first couple of weeks I was there, I responded to a terrorist attack that involved a Rhino bus, which was a transportation bus for civilians and soldiers,” said Fessock, who is also a former police officer. “They turned into the convoy and killed 23 people -- U.S. soldiers, coalition forces, and civilians. It was bad. They were in pieces. I had to carry some of the soldiers out. It was tough, man.”
Seeing so much death and having to wrap the flag around the soldiers in body bags before the helicopters came for them, took a toll on Fessock. He suffers from PTSD.
“It was hard for me to manage my personal life. I would use drugs to help counteract the emotional issues I was having,” said Fessock, who received the Bronze Star and the Joint Service Achievement Medal in Afghanistan. “War is definitely something that's not good for anybody. It's not good to see. It has long-term effects on your mental health and how you perceive life in general.”
After his return home, Fessock was in a Warrior Transition Unit for several months. The psychiatrists said that based on what he had been through, it would be better for him to retire from the police force. He also took drugs to numb his pain.
Fortunately, he began playing music, which helped calm his anxiety.
“Rather than do drugs, I would play the piano, and it helped me get better,” he said.
Fessock began writing and playing his own songs based on how he felt at VA hospitals.
“A lot of soldiers and veterans like music. I think music has a calming effect on the mind,” Fessock said. “I can easily make a phone call and get drugs, or I can play music. Once I play music, all that stuff goes away. Music makes me calm -- It takes away the negative voices in my head to make bad decisions, and the depression goes away.
“ Drugs are no good. When I was at the VA, they gave me so many prescription medications. They’re not fixing any problems. The medication really messed up my mind,” said Fessock, a divorced father of a 24-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son. “I had to try to find a healthy outlet to handle what I was going through.”
Instead of negative visions, inside Rob Fessock’s head is music. Beautiful music that is now available on music platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music . He has videos on TickTok and YouTube .
"Music has been his salvation. He always loved playing the piano, but since his return from Afghanistan, it has become his lifeline, and he excels at it," said his brother, Paul Fessock, a Scotch Plains resident who owns World of Rock in Summit, NJ, and a wrote a children's book to raise awareness of Rob's story.
Performing under the name Rob Fess, the Army veteran plays music at VA hospitals for other veterans and at hotels. He is planning a tour where he will play his music in some of the most beautiful churches in the world and share his story.
“Music can help change your life – especially for people with mental health issues,” he said. “When I play music, all the bad stuff goes away. I don't know what I’d be without music. Every time I go somewhere, I try to find a piano. I play, so I can make the right decisions."
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