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Jon Foti ’12 has never written a song — but his story is full of them.

The former ROTC student and Army captain is the new CEO of Operation Song, a nonprofit organization that pairs veterans with professional songwriters to let veterans tell their stories through music.

It’s a career choice driven by a desire to serve and one steeped in empathy.

Two weeks after graduating from UTampa with a government and world affairs degree, Foti was in flight school. He saw action in Afghanistan and worked for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Wounded Warrior Fellow.

These days perhaps aren’t as intense as they used to be, but Foti still hustles. He spends his days selling the mission of Operation Song to potential donors, business partners and other nonprofits. Keeping a literally life-saving, lifechanging charity running and expanding requires a cool head and a big heart.

“With Operation Song, I have to convince people that the value of music and serving veterans through songwriting is warranted,” Foti said.

Foti’s message about the power of music never changes, but he adjusts his tactics depending on his audience. With veterans groups, Foti educates on the benefits of music therapy and storytelling. With music groups, Foti advocates for the veterans and the success of the program.

To anyone else, the balancing act might feel too much like walking on a tightrope. But Foti loves it.

“I could do many other things. And I absolutely choose to do this because it’s an opportunity to continue to serve, because veterans do have a story to tell, and America does need to hear and understand and know that story,” Foti said.

Foti once sat in on a songwriting session between Nashville recording artist Jessee Lee and a veteran who served in Afghanistan who was battling addiction. They created a song called “Good on My Own,” about the veteran’s recovery.

“That’s by far my favorite song that I’ve ever heard (in) Operation Song,” Foti said. “I think it’s very often challenging to talk to people directly about how you feel. But for a lot of these veterans, they can put it in a song, write about it and then share that song with their family. And now their family feels that much closer to the battle that they’re struggling with.”

According to its website, Operation Song has written 1,640 songs and helped over 2,281 veterans and their families. Foti’s next step is to deploy the Nashville-based nonprofit nationwide.

“I think I, like most veterans, have a knack for service. With public service roles comes incredible purpose, often purpose greater than one’s self. Once you’ve truly felt that sense of purpose, it’s hard to work again in an environment that lacks purpose,” Foti said.