Cassy & Alyssa Gaddis: Press

When we last checked in with Cassy and Alyssa Gaddis
(GX 5.8, December issue), they were in Nashville
recording their song, “The Price of Peace.” Since then, the
men and women of the National Guard have embraced
their song and their patriotic spirit. Thanks to the support
of the National Guard, the sisters have taken their busy
schedule in stride and enjoyed every minute of it.
In May, The Gaddis Sisters celebrated the
start of summer with the launching of their
Web page at www.NATIONALGUARD.com.
The Web page, which has their story and a
downloadable MP3 of the song, as well as the
new music video they recorded in Nashville in
the spring, has been a huge success. With all
these new promotions, it is hard for their father,
CW5 Jim Gaddis of the Illinois Army National
Guard, to keep his pride from showing. The
girls have met many amazing people along the
way—some who have helped them professionally
with their music—but the one person who
is consistently behind them is their father.
Like all fathers, Gaddis wanted his daughters
to be successful in whatever venture they chose
to follow in life, and as soon as he heard their
first recording, Gaddis knew they would able to
achieve their goal of helping Soldiers’ families.
“I knew that the song had merit because
everybody that we played it for, it touched them
immediately,” Gaddis said in an interview with
GX. “As they went along this summer and went
to different organizations, Cassy and Alyssa
kept getting nothing but positive feedback from
Soldiers for the message of the song and what the
girls are doing to get the family message out.”
Gaddis, whose service has spanned more than
20 years in the Guard, has enjoyed his daughters’
wild ride since the release of their song and has
noticed that their patriotism somewhat stems
from his Guard service. Joining after high school,
the Guard intrigued Gaddis because it allowed
him to serve and pay for college.
“I decided I wanted to pay my own way
through college, and I saw an ad for 100%
Tuition Assistance in the paper,” Gaddis said.
“I walked into a recruiting office and recruited
myself. It paid for a four-year degree in AviationManagement and led to my 20-plus year career
in the military and civilian sectors.”
It is hard for him not to notice the girls’
patriotism, their love of country and their kindness
to all the strangers they happen to meet at
their performances.
“It makes me really proud that their mom
and I have raised them to be patriotic kids
and to see the big picture,” Gaddis said. “I am
particularly proud of them because they have
been doing this since about March and really
haven’t accepted any payment, and really have
given a lot.”
Being out of school for the summer
gave Cassy and Alyssa a chance to
shine and perform for more Guard
Soldiers and their families. From
the beginning days of summer, the
girls traveled across the country
performing, got to sing their song at
the National Guard Youth Conference
and even performed with Gary Sinise
and the LT Dan Band.
CW5 Gaddis was a little worried
they might get burnt out, so he
created a schedule that would give
them plenty of time to enjoy their
lives and still do what they love to
do best: perform. Nevertheless, he
is always amazed at how eager they are and how
much energy they have during performances.
“I think they keep doing it because of the feedback
from all the people,” Gaddis admitted. “I
try to find a balance for them as a dad and watch
out for them, but they have always been live
performers since they were young.
“Troop performers really garner a lot of
energy from feedback, and when the feedback
is positive, it keeps you going,” he added. “The
people that they meet at all these events, all
these kids and parents, really give them the
energy to keep going.”
But the thing that Gaddis and his daughters,
Cassy and Alyssa, love the most is the feedback
they receive from the Soldiers and their families.
That is, after all, who they set out to help.
“The feedback we get from families is that
they are proud that two young kids see the sacrifice,
and are willing to speak out about it just
to educate and bring awareness to others who
may not realize what military families are going
through in this eight-plus-year war,” he said. “It
has all been positive. We have not received, since
the song has been released, one negative email or
phone call, which is incredible.” GX

Singing with the stars
Springfield sisters to perform with CSI’s Gary Sinise in July

In just the past year, Cassy and Alyssa Gaddis, teenage sisters from Springfield, have become the bright-eyed faces of the National Guard music campaign.

Since Alyssa, now 13, penned “The Price of Peace” last summer, the girls have recorded the song in Nashville, starred in their own music video (which appeared in movie theaters across the country from May 22 to June 11) and performed for thousands of soldiers and their families.

This week the Gaddis Sisters will embark on a two-month tour to military bases and military kids’ camps in Indiana, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida. They’ll also team up with “CSI: New York” star Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band at the annual Rockin’ for the Troops benefit concert in Cantigny Park in Wheaton on July 18.

“Everything we’re doing is to sing to the kids or the families,” Cassy, 16, says. “It really is to finally give those families and kids the support that they deserve. They’re fighters, too, in their own way.”


The girls found their inspiration after attending several deployment ceremonies with their dad, Jim, who’s been in the military for 23 years and now serves as the command chief warrant officer of the Illinois Army National Guard.


“My dad’s in the military, so we’ve kind of lived our whole lives seeing him go away and come back,” Alyssa says. “It’s been rough.”


“You see these kids holding on to their mom or dad, and it breaks your heart,” Cassy adds. “You know they’re doing something so much bigger than themselves and their families, and they’re doing it for all of us.”


Last May, Alyssa, who’s been singing with her sister at area charity events and nursing homes for the past six years, sat down at the kitchen table with her dad and wrote “The Price of Peace.” By September, friends at State Farm Insurance heard the song and paid for the Gaddis Sisters to record it in Nashville. In November the National Guard paid for the music video and for its screening in movie theaters.


Its lyrics — The price of peace is paid by the families on their kneespraying tonight/By a soldier’s feet on some foreign street just trying to save a life/By a daughter’s tears as she sees her hero do what he thinks is right/The loss may run deep but if it’s love we leave/Well that’s the price of peace — tell the true story of every person who’s seen their soldier come and go. That’s what makes it so special, Cassy says.

“It’s not coming from someone acting like they know how it feels,” she says. “It’s coming from two military kids who are right there with you.”


The girls’ mother, Annette, agrees that it’s a tribute to the military — not just to the soldiers, but to their families, too.

“So many people forget about the families,” she says. “The soldiers are busy every day when they’re gone. For the families, time almost stands still. There has to be more.”


Cassy and Alyssa have since written songs that they’ll record in Nashville in a few weeks; their family also hopes to relocate to the Music City soon. They’re excited to meet Sinise at the July benefit concert and to perform their own songs, plus hits by their country idols Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift, on tour. They’re also arranging to perform “The Price of Peace” at the Pentagon and the White House.


“Everything’s grown from the song,” Cassy says. “This is what we want to do. We’ve always loved music.”

THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted May 26, 2009 @ 12:00 AM

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The lights go down, and in a matter of minutes the movie will start. But first, a music video appears and suddenly the audience is listening to two singing teenagers who may become hometown legends.

Following in the footsteps of popular music acts such as Kid Rock and 3 Doors Down are Cassy and Alyssa Gaddis of Springfield. Kid Rock and 3 Doors Down both recorded music and filmed performances for the Army National Guard. Now, the two local girls have become the new faces of the National Guard music campaign.

In May 2008, Alyssa Gaddis, 13, a student at Springfield Christian School, wrote the song “The Price of Peace,” a military inspired song where Alyssa speaks of the love and support for soldiers in the military and their deployment.

“Well, my dad (Jim, who serves in the Illinois Army National Guard) has been in the military our whole life. We are military kids and born on military bases. We have lived the life of our dad being gone and I wanted that to come alive through the song,” Alyssa said.

Since then Alyssa and Cassy, a 16-year-old who will be a senior this fall at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, have been working hard to fulfill their dreams for the song. And on Saturday, a music video of the song premiered in movie theaters nationwide, including in Springfield.

“We knew this song was bigger than us. The whole point of the song was to reach out to everyone and allow the world to know not only are our soldiers fighting a war, but so are the military families,” Cassy said.

With big hopes for the song, the Gaddis sisters said they were ecstatic when State Farm Insurance and the National Guard agreed to be their sponsors.

“Fate stepped in and my dad happened to be flying with the CEO of State Farm. He told (the CEO) about the song and then it all went up from there,” Cassy said.

Once the sponsors were set, the Gaddis sisters recorded “The Price of Peace” at the Creative Caffeine recording studio in Nashville, Tenn. The song was then released online in September 2008.

“Once the song was recorded we got it to some important people in D.C. and they called us to make the music video, which is now released online,” Cassy said.

Filmed in the Nashville area at several different locations, the music video production began. After a lot of hard work and four grueling days later, the Gaddis sisters’ first music video shoot was complete.

Alyssa and Cassy said that being on the set of their own music video was “fun and exciting” and they felt like superstars.

As the music video circulates on numerous Web sites, it also hits the big screen.

On May 22, just in time to commemorate Memorial Day, the Gaddis sisters’ video debuted in movie theaters across the country. The video will be featured in seven states — Illinois, California, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia and Texas — and in Washington D.C. because these locations have the most soldiers who have been deployed.

Because of the military content in the video, however, it will be shown only before films with a PG-13 and R rating.

The video tells the story of a young girl and the emotions she goes through with her family when her father leaves to go to war.

Through the song’s lyrics and music video’s footage, the Gaddis sisters’ message is told loud and clear.

“We got to sing ‘The Price of Peace’ in Nashville for about 1,300 soldiers. That was probably our favorite experience because there was not a dry eye in the house. It touched these men and women so much and we couldn’t believe the impact it had,” Cassy said.

“The Price of Peace” is impacting not just soldiers and families, but the state of Illinois.

“The Price of Peace” single, along with T-shirts, are available for purchase at www.thepriceofpeace.org. Profits made from these items will be donated to the Illinois Family Readiness groups and local Veterans of Foreign Wars posts for families in need.

The Gaddis sisters will dedicate their summer to promoting the song through more charitable and singing events.

On June 6, in Decatur, the Gaddis sisters will use their voices to help raise money for soldiers who have been wounded. They are also scheduled to appear at the Pentagon and their sponsors are working on scheduling a White House appearance.

Cassy and Alyssa last weekend sang at the G.I. Film Festival in Washington D.C., which is a five-day event showcasing films about the military.

“The G.I. Film Festival gave us the great opportunity of meeting some huge faces of Hollywood filmmakers. We also got to sing the song and show the video, which is always exciting to see people’s reaction as they see it for the first time,” Cassy said.

“Our hopes for the song is that people would realize what it’s truly like for a little girl and her family to go through,” Alyssa said.

On the big screen
The video for the song “The Price of Peace,” performed by Cassy and Alyssa Gaddis of Springfield, will be seen through June 11 before films rated PG-13 or R shown at Springfield’s Parkway Pointe 8 and Showplace 8 movie theaters.

On the Web
To see Cassy and Alyssa Gaddis’ music video and to learn more about their story, check out these following Web sites.
* http://gaddisgirls.com
* http://thepriceofpeace.org
* www.nationalguard.com/priceofpeace
* www.myspace.com/cassyandalyssa

GX HERO Story and Photos by Christian Anderson

Twelve-year-old Alyssa Gaddis and her 16-year-old sister
Cassy Gaddis, of Springfield, IL, know this firsthand.
They’ve been to many such events because their father,
CW5 Jim Gaddis, is the command chief warrant offi cer
of the Illinois Army National Guard. They’ve felt the
power of families being torn apart.
These experiences inspired Alyssa to write a song—a
song to lift the spirits of those enduring deployment, a song to inspire
courage and hope. Alyssa titled her song, “The Price of Peace.”
Thinking positive
“I went to a deployment ceremony where kids were clutching to
their dad’s neck crying,” Alyssa recalls, “and it just broke my heart.
[Cassy and I] have it so easy right now with our dad at home. There are
dads out there [with] loved ones going off to war.”
Cassy agreed, adding, “That particular ceremony was probably the
saddest one I have ever been to because there were so many families
there. I think that some people don’t really understand because they
haven’t seen it with their own eyes.”
When Alyssa started writing her song, she knew there were other
songs out there with similar themes. But many of them had sad endings.
She wanted hers to be unique—by being positive. She wanted it to
have a happy ending.
Cassy had the same idea. “I think that a lot of people want to focus on
the negative,” she shared. “And [it’s] there … but I always think there’s a
silver lining to everything.”
Alyssa felt her original point of view could make the song stand out.
“I wanted to write it from a girl’s perspective—‘My dad’s going off to
war,’ ” she explained. “There aren’t any songs about younger kids with
dads going off to war.
“Hopefully this song will allow people to focus on the good. [Yes], it is
hard when he’s gone, but he is coming home.”
Love for the Soldier
The Gaddis girls’ compassion extends beyond the families to the
deploying Soldiers.
“I defi nitely respect [them] for their courage and strength, and their
sacrifi ce,” Cassy stated. “I think in today’s society, especially now, people
just want the war to end so much that they kind of forget what these
Soldiers and their families face.
“I know what they go through. Their sacrifice for us is just jawdropping.
[While] we sit here, they are over there training and fi ghting
to help us. I think self-sacrifi ce is the defi nition of … a Soldier.”
State Farm was there
Alyssa’s craft ing of the tune was only the beginning of this project.
The next question was how to get it “out there.”
Enter an unexpected ally—State Farm Insurance. Its Adopt-a-Soldier
program was created to thank and support deployed troops by sending
them care packages and has received national accolades. State Farm
was also recently awarded the highest employer honor bestowed by the
Department of Defense—the Freedom Award—for recognition of its
support of employees serving in the Guard and Reserves.
Jim Gaddis ran into a State Farm rep at a Family Readiness meeting
in Springfi eld and told the rep about his daughters’ song. The two
discussed the possibilities, and State Farm off ered to help pay for the
recording studio time in Nashville, TN.
The Gaddis family also set up the Web site ThePriceofPeace.
org, which promotes and sells downloads of the song. Profi ts from
the song will be going to Illinois’ Family Readiness Groups and
local VFWs.
“This is another effort to raise money for the Illinois Family
Readiness groups, so they can support the troops,” said Bill Hrabik,
President–Military Affi nity Group at State Farm. “The goal is to raise
money for the group, and awareness of the separation issues of deploying
Soldiers and their families.”
The man with the plan
People often make the mistake of assuming it is not that hard to
record a song.
Well, it entails a little bit more than just singing into a microphone.
You need producers to handle the project. They have to know
the ins and outs of music. And they have to be passionate about
achieving top quality.
Hart Steen fi t that bill for the Gaddis girls. A young musician in
Nashville, Steen’s love of music radiates from him. A chance meeting
hooked him up with the Gaddis girls. Jim and his wife Annette
were visiting Nashville and went to the Commodore, a popular music
venue. Steen happened to be onstage and the Gaddis’ took a liking to
ecording studio.
his music. Aft er the show, the three talked about Alyssa’s song, and
Steen liked the concept.
Steen and the Gaddis’ kept in touch, and shared ideas. Aft er much
discussion, the girls were on their way to Nashville to record their song
with Steen as their producer.
“They have been awesome,” Steen declared. “[I]t’s been a joy to have
them in my life.”
Steen has his own investment in the concept of this song. A few
years ago, his younger brother enlisted in the Air Force. Steen took
notice of his brother’s transformation during an emotional graduation
at Lackland AFB in Texas. “It was very powerful,” Steen recalled.
“He had changed into a man.”
Trip to Music City
So the Gaddis family packed their bags and hit the road, aiming for
the global hub of country music.
Cassy and Alyssa were ecstatic to be able to go, not because they got
out of school for a few days, but because they were going to a place that
is rich in musical history. For nearly half a century, countless country
artists have traveled to “Music City” to see if they have what it takes.
“When I got there, I thought about how amazing it was to be doing
this,” Alyssa said, smiling. “I felt proud.”
Being in the big leagues, so to speak, made the girls step up their
game. Working with professionals in a recording studio was a big step
forward. But the girls adjusted.
It was an especially powerful experience for Alyssa—barely in 7th
grade.
“Her maturity just skyrocketed when we were in Nashville,” Cassy
revealed. “The fact that she wrote the song and took on all this responsibility—
it made me really open my eyes. It made me look up to her. Even
though she is my little sister.”
The girls took their time behind the mic to let loose and give it their
all. With so much riding on their shoulders, this was no time to goof off .
They worked hard—but enjoyed every minute.
“It was a really good experience. It was amazing—and surreal,”
Alyssa shared. “I have never really done that before. I have gone

have fun during their recording
session in Nashville, TN.
to studios locally in Springfield, but this was different. I felt like I
was a superstar.”
“My wife and I are so proud of Alyssa and Cassy for what they have
done to support the deploying Soldiers' families,” Jim declared. “They
genuinely care and want to make a diff erence in these people's lives.”
The waiting is the hardest part
Returning home from Nashville, the girls left their song—and
trust—with Steen. The process of mixing and editing music can take a
long time, and the girls tried to be patient.
Aft er anxiously waiting for several weeks, the fi nished piece was
fi nally delivered, and the Gaddis family gathered at their Springfi eld
home to listen.
“When we heard the rough version, it brought tears to my mom’s
eyes,” Alyssa marveled. “It’s amazing knowing that Cassy and I did that
together.”
Looking back on the experience, Alyssa shares, “People think that
singers have it easy. They think all they have to do is sing. The day aft er
the recording, I wanted to pull my hair out.”
But that was only the beginning. “Now we get to do the really fun
part of the process—send the message,” Cassy shared. “To me, that’s the
most important part—talking to people and hopefully inspiring them
the way [we’ve been inspired].”
Reaching out
The Gaddis’ are invested in the success of the song not because of the
chance to make it big but to help others.
“Hopefully, it will touch people deeply,” Cassy said.
And, Alyssa adds, “It’s for a good cause. All of the money made off of
this is [being donated] to the military families.”
It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In the same
way, a deployment is worth a thousand emotions. Maybe “The Price of
Peace” will be worth a thousand smiles. GX
“__
“Hopefully, it will touch people deeply,” Cassy said.
And, Alyssa adds, “It’s for a good cause. All of the money made off of
this is [being donated] to the military families.”
It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In the same
way, a deployment is worth a thousand emotions. Maybe “The Price of
Peace” will be worth a thousand smiles. GX

PATRIOTIC SONG PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE SACRIFICES OF SOLDIERS’ FAMILIES
Local teenager writes moving tribute to military families


NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The success of a Soldier depends on their physical and mental fortitude and strength. The family of a Soldier has to be just as strong.
An Illinois teen’s song about a military family’s sacrifice for its Soldier caught the ears of music producers in Nashville, Tenn., and will be released in the near future to raise funds for Soldier support groups.
“Music goes to the heart,” said Alyssa Gaddis, the 12-year-old singer / songwriter from Springfield, Ill. “Families have to stay strong for the Soldiers and I think this song shows what emotions families go through.”
Alyssa isn’t alone in her appreciation of the military and lending her voice to this cause. Cassy Gaddis, Alyssa’s older sister, has performed with her sister for the last five years.
They both have a common bond with the military as their father is a member of the Illinois Army National Guard, Command Chief Warrant Officer (5) Jim Gaddis.
“We have been really lucky that our dad has not been deployed, but we see families at ceremonies that affect us,” said Cassy, a 16-year-old student at Sacred Heart Griffin High School in Springfield.
Alyssa wrote the song as a tribute to the sacrifices the military families make and the emotions they experience as they see their Soldier leave and then return from deployment.

“The title of the song, ‘The Price of Peace’, really says it all,” said Alyssa. “It really tells the tale of a girl saying goodbye to her dad and realizing what it all means and waiting for the time when he returns.”
The family tribute song could not have been possible without the support and sponsorship of the recording by State Farm Insurance Companies.
Through meetings with the Employee Support of Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and military contacts, State Farm Insurance was presented the family tribute song concept and eagerly provided support.
State Farm Insurance Companies, based in Bloomington, Ill., was nationally recognized in September as a military friendly employer and supporter of the Guard and Reserve by receiving the Freedom Award. The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award is the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their support of their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.
The Gaddis family traveled to Nashville in September to record voice tracks at the Creative Caffeine recording studio.
Hart Steen, music producer and singer/songwriter, coordinated the recording efforts and production of this project.
“I met the girls’ parents downtown (Nashville) on a songwriting night and they approached me afterwards with some ideas, sent me an e-mail and we went from there,” said Steen, a Nashville resident. “I thought it was a really great idea. In country music you hear a lot of patriotic songs, but no one writes from the perspective of a young girl, to the family. That was what really appealed to me.”
Steen’s brother is in the U.S. Air Force which allowed him to bring a stronger connection to the song.
“When I saw my younger brother at basic training graduation, he was more than just a brother; he became both a brother and a friend,” remembered Steen teary-eyed. “He was not younger, not older…it was just respect. It has been a huge plus for my family.
My brother went overseas and it was a huge thing to let him go and have him be gone. I don’t know if I would give that up because of what I felt when he came back home,” he said.
Although this is not the first formal production of a song by Cassy and Alyssa, Steen believes it has great potential to highlight the strength of family support of Soldiers.
“I think it’s going to be awesome,” said Steen. “I don’t believe it is a song’s job to sell itself. The message is going to make the people really enjoy it.”
Over the next few weeks the song will be mixed and engineered to complete the recording process and then will be made available for downloadable purchase online at www.thepriceofpeace.org.
All proceeds will be given to Family Readiness Groups (FRGs) by distribution from a local Veterans of Foreign Wars post.
FRGs are the target benefactors because they are a source of support, information, and assistance to the Soldiers and their families.
They are made up of caring people who work together to provide accurate information pertaining to their units or organizations and provide support.
FRGs are not just family members working together, but also Soldiers, community representatives, and the unit’s chain of command. Each of these groups benefit from FRGs.
“There’s a bigger reason for all of this,” shared Alyssa. “Music should touch people and I only hope this keeps on going and going. The families need that support.”

“For a girl to say goodbye to her daddy’s smile is rough — can’t cover it up.”

That’s one of the lines in a song written by 12-year-old Alyssa Gaddis of Springfield after hearing her father talk about deployment ceremonies for National Guard troops being sent overseas to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Alyssa’s father, Chief Warrant Officer Jim Gaddis, isn’t being deployed, but after hearing the stories and witnessing a ceremony firsthand, the Springfield Christian School seventh-grader sat down and composed the lyrics to “The Price of Peace,” a song about a girl saying goodbye to her father as he prepares for war.

“It’s very sad, seeing the little girls clutch to their dad’s neck and cry,” Alyssa said Monday of the deployment event she witnessed. “That was hard to just watch, knowing that they are leaving and they are not going to come back for a long time.”

Alyssa’s song got the attention of a music producer, and last month, she found herself in a Nashville, Tenn., studio recording the song she wrote. “Price of Peace” is now available online, and proceeds will be given to military family readiness groups who have loved ones who are deployed.

Alyssa said she is glad to do something to help the families of service men and women.

“There are no songs out there about girls and their perspective of their dads going to war. I really just wanted to write a song about it,” she said.

Jim Gaddis works full time for the Illinois Army National Guard. He hasn’t been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

After his daughter wrote the song, he had a chance encounter with a State Farm executive.

Gaddis told the man about the song, and the Bloomington-based insurance company agreed to cover the cost of the trip to Nashville and the recording of the song.

Hart Steen, a music producer and singer/songwriter, polished the lyrics and wrote the music.

Singing with Alyssa on the song is her sister, Cassy Gaddis, a 16-year-old Sacred Heart-Griffin High School student. Cassy sang harmony, and Alyssa said she appreciated the help.

“She’s like my little buddy,” Alyssa said.

During the recording, Alyssa got to see firsthand how songs are recorded. She spent nearly two hours in the recording booth singing different sections of the song.

“By the end of the day, I wanted to pull my hair out,” she said. “It’s a long process that’s harder than it looks. It’s very, very tough. But it was worth it. It was a good experience.”

Now that the song is recorded and available for download, Alyssa hopes it will help families who are having to wait for the return of a loved one.

“The days go by fast for the soldiers, but for the families, they go by slow,” Alyssa said.

John Reynolds can be reached at 788-1524.