“HOW DID WE GET HERE?” is one of the more personal songs I've written for Blue Wave Revival because the question comes from my own life and my own military service.

I served in the U.S. Army, including two tours in Vietnam. I raised my hand, put on the uniform, and took an oath to defend this country. I served beside men from different races, backgrounds, hometowns, religions, and beliefs. We didn't stop to ask which political party somebody belonged to before we depended on them. When things got difficult, the person beside you was your brother. You watched his back, and you trusted him to watch yours.

More than five decades later, I still carry those experiences with me. I also carry the scars that can come home with a veteran long after the uniform has been put away.

That's why today's division troubles me so deeply. I look at Americans talking past each other, treating neighbors like enemies, and sometimes forgetting everything we still have in common, and I find myself asking: How did we get here?

This isn't a song about telling anyone which side to choose. It's about remembering something my military service taught me: we don't have to be alike to stand beside one another.

“HOW DID WE GET HERE?” doesn't offer an easy answer. Instead, it asks another question that may matter even more: How do we find our way back?

Maybe we start by listening. Maybe we start with respect. Maybe we remember that before all the labels and arguments, we're veterans, neighbors, families, friends, and fellow Americans.

After everything I've seen and everything I've carried home, I still believe this country is worth standing up for.

And I still believe we can find our way back.

— Rick Gaspa
Blue Wave Revival