“I gave my all for freedom’s call,
But freedom doesn't catch my fall.
The bills stack high, the pain runs deep,
A restless night, no peaceful sleep.
I paid the price for liberty,
But now the cost is drowning me.”

(third stanza of The Price We Paid)

Many wrongs need to be righted in our veteran community to honor the commitments made to them, but they seldom get America’s attention. It’s only when public awareness – and anger – builds that people ask questions and demand action. 

We know this from previous incidents in which Americans rescued veterans from mind-numbing VA neglect and bureaucracy. Agent Orange (Vietnam) and Burn Pits (Iraq and Afghanistan) are two good examples to use before exploring the subject of this song – Unpaid and Unpayable debt.

Agent Orange. The Veterans Administration (VA) began receiving claims from veterans in 1977. It took until 2010, when Congress passed the Agent Orange Act, that the VA bureaucracy was strong-armed to provide the medical services heretofore denied our heroes. Thousands of our warriors died in the interim. 

Burn Pits. Thousands of soldiers who had served in the Middle East fought the VA for multiple decades to secure disability benefits for the medical problems created by burn pits. Again, delay and denial was a VA feature (not a bug) that kept millions of dollars in VA bank accounts while veterans depleted their own.

It wasn’t until the PACT Act was passed in 2022 that this wrong was – somewhat – righted. That can be credited in significant part to comedian Jon Stewart, who skewered the VA for its resistance to changing policy and went to Congress to enroll supporters to end the Endemic foot-dragging and denials that still exist.

So, what’s the problem today?

A significant factor in veteran suicide is hiding in plain sight.

That element – described clinically as a “social determinant” – is debt! Payday Loan debt. Loan shark debt. High-interest rate credit card debt. Predatory school education debt and the list goes on. Factor in “debt of necessity,” which includes putting gas in the car to get to work, paying rent to keep from going homeless, and all the while fielding calls from the bill collector. Proven invitations to suicidal ideation and the horrific act itself.

“This was an eye-opener for me as a clinical social worker with 40 years of experience in the field of behavioral health as a clinician, administrator, researcher, and teacher,” reports Mike Matthews, Director of Behavioral Services and Veteran Programs for Staten Island Performing Provider System (SIPPS).

“The Price We Paid does an amazing, visceral job of bringing the impact of crushing veteran debt to our ears and senses,” Mike adds. “Should this song go viral, go national, there’s no way it can’t open up a much-needed dialogue and action.”

The “been there, done that” motivator behind The Price We Paid

Mike Williams is a 10-year former combat medic who served in Turkey/northern Iraq, Bosnia, and Haiti. He joined the Army at age 24 after an early music and sound engineering career in southern California. During several tours overseas, he sustained injuries requiring multiple surgeries…with more still to come. 

In his work as CTO for The Harmonetiks Project and participation with Veteran Mission Possible (VMP), he became familiar with the Michael Thorin story and was inspired to write this anthem. 

“Also being a combat medic and coming home broken, I couldn’t help but relate to Michael’s life. To his credit, he became a fireman and first responder. His ensuing fights with the VA and his struggles with his health and finances, he kept to himself. This is not a good idea. If Americans are not aware of your problem, they can’t do anything about your problem.

Well now, you know about it. What do you intend to do about it? A lot of veterans are waiting to hear from you. 

It would be sweet music to their ears.

Full Lyrics:

I wore the flag, I bore the scars,
Fought the battles, near and far.
I gave my youth, my flesh, my bone,
But now I face this fight alone.

The promises made feel out of reach,
Like waves retreating from the beach.
Left with shadows, memories that sting,
A soldier's debt for everything.

I gave my all for freedom’s call,
But freedom doesn't catch my fall.
The bills stack high, the pain runs deep,
A restless night, no peaceful sleep.
I paid the price for liberty,
But now the cost is drowning me.

They say I'm brave, they shake my hand,
But they don’t see where I now stand.
In empty halls where echoes cry,
A wounded heart just asking why.

Each letter in the mail cut my pride,
A mountain of debt I cannot hide.
And as I watch my family bleed,
I wonder if they’d be better freed.

I gave my all for freedom’s call,
But freedom doesn't catch my fall.
The bills stack high, the pain runs deep,
A restless night, no peaceful sleep.
I paid the price for liberty,
But now the cost is burying me.

If I were gone, my worth would rise,
Insurance would dry their tear-stained eyes.
But how do I choose the price to pay,
To leave them light or make them stay?

Would you stand where I have stood?
Would you trade your soul, if you only could?
For a folded flag and a hero's song,
But when the parade ends, you're just hanging on.

I gave my all for freedom’s call,
But freedom doesn't catch my fall.
The bills stack high, the pain runs deep,
A restless night, no peaceful sleep.
I paid the price for liberty,
But now the cost is drowning me.

So if you see me walking slow,
With haunted eyes that the years don’t show,
Remember this, as you go by—
I loved this land enough to die.
And though I live, I fight this thread:
A man worth more when he’s gone than fed.