Military Moms Sing Wartime Blues Away

July 23,2013

A singing group that began as a way to help military moms cope with wartime anxiety is now bringing cheer to civilians and veterans.

The Swingin’ Blue Stars formed just after 9/11. Almost 12 years later, the group is still taking its show on the road.

Walking into a rehearsal of the Swingin’ Blue Stars feels like stumbling across a group of best friends. They meet about once a week in one of their living rooms in a San Francisco suburb. They push aside the furniture to face a big picture window. Sometimes they find themselves serenading neighbors.

"When it gets dark, we can’t see out but they can see in," one singer laughs. "But we watch our reflections in the glass and that helps us a little bit."

The Swingin' Blue Stars were formed by Cindy Shon. "But it was never meant to continue for more than a couple years."

It was supposed to be a distraction from worry, when, right after the attacks of 9-11, her son was deployed to Afghanistan. Shon had just joined the Blue Star Moms - a support group for U.S. military mothers. The term, "blue star," refers to having one family member in the military.

A natural go-getter, Shon organized some fellow moms to sing Christmas carols at the local veterans hospital.

Francie Roberts remembers they started getting lots of calls to sing for other veterans groups. The performances were a welcome distraction from the fear of getting a visit from a military delegation with the worst news a parent can hear.