““Our mission in our band is essentially that,” he explained. “We’re there to help these guys out. … We’re reaching out to them through our music. Music is our avenue that we use to talk to a wounded warrior and then show them that there’s support out there. … And of course, it’s music. We’re playing some cool stuff for them. They have a good time.””

“The Houston-based band spent time in the USO’s music room before their evening performance replacing strings and tuning up the equipment. They also handed out some advice and jammed with a few Soldiers who happened to be in the right place at the right time. “We started looking at the instruments and realized they needed some TLC,” said Paul Delacerda, drummer in the Warrior Spirit Band, and a retired Army staff sergeant. Ashy Palliparambil, hospital services specialist for USO Metro, said the music studio has been a great addition to the USO.”

““I’m really trying to focus on connecting with each individual in the WTU… to talk to them on a more personal level,” said Delacerda. Sgt. 1st class Leonard Wrath said, “It was a way to take a break from the daily grind, relax and enjoy a good band. It showed the Soldier’s that you can continue to follow your dreams even if you are wounded, ill, or injured.””

“The Warrior Spirit Band, through its charity Rock 4 Recovery, travels the country performing music and meeting Soldiers and wounded warriors.”

“The defining moment in my musical career was after my injury in Iraq. I suffered a traumatic brain injury from an IED blast and lost a lot of my memory. However, I’m not one to quit. It took me over five years, and countless frustrating moments, to get where I’m at today.”

“Since its creation, the group has toured the country, playing at numerous military bases and Wounded Warrior events -- often free. The band, a nonprofit, has independently released a handful of their own songs, and has found a strong audience”

“Wounded warriors bring healing to SXSW - Houston band supports vets struggling with PTSD -”

“Delacerda got the idea in 2009 to form a band of wounded warriors who would play for audiences of wounded warriors. By early 2010 the band Warrior Spirit was up and jamming at Veterans Affairs hospitals, rehab facilities and Warrior Transition Units. "We can talk to these wounded soldiers and talk to them about what they're going through," Delacerda said. "We can say, 'Hey man, I've been there.' ... We're helping these guys heal while we heal ourselves. Warrior Spirit has seen some personnel changes, but the current version is made up of Delacerda on drums, Levon Ingram on rhythm guitar and vocals, Robert Ferguson on vocals, King Burton on bass and Brian Hunter on saxophone. The band is searching for a lead guitarist. Burton was wounded with the Army in Vietnam. Hunter served in the Navy during Operation Iraqi Freedom. ”

“Wounded Warrior Band Aims To Help Veterans Group Of Veterans Wants To Empower Returning Troops To Never Give Up HOUSTON -- A group of veterans in Houston has come together to form a band that aims to help reach out to fellow wounded warriors. Approximately 6,400 veterans take their own lives each year, according to recent estimates by the Office of Veterans Affairs. A growing number of these veterans served in either Iraq or Afghanistan.It's a sobering statistic that's all too real for many Houstonians who've served overseas.The nightmare of war is hard for many servicemembers to wake up from, even after they come home.The men who've formed the Warrior Spirit Band said they understand."I have been on that ledge -- there were many times I was like, 'It's not worth it anymore,'" retired U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Ferguson said."All of us have that underlying issue ...”

“Wounded warriors from all over the nation arrived today in Port O'connor to kick off Wounded Warriors Weekend.”

“Drumming Back To Health 7/21/2010 SSG (ret) Paul Delacerda turned to his passion for music when faced with a seemingly impossible situation.About three months after returning from a combat tour in Iraq, Paul DeLaCerda stepped into a Wal-Mart near Fort Bragg in North Carolina and suddenly realized he couldn't remember his own name. "I forgot where I was at, I forgot who I was, I forgot what I was doing there," he said. "I sat there for 10 minutes trying to figure it out." The Army staff sergeant from Houston was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury from a bomb blast that had almost destroyed his Humvee in Iraq in 2005. He also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, back pain and nerve damage. "When somebody tells you you're disabled, it's almost like the end of the world," recalled DeLaCerda. "You feel like everything's over, like you can't be 100 percent anymore."”

“Warrior Spirit Band motivates, inspires wounded warriors By ANGIE THORNE Associate editor Musical notes are nothing but sound until someone takes the time to string them together. The resulting mu-sic, paired with lyrics, can communi-cate powerful ideas. But that message is nothing but noise without a purpose.That‟s what the Warrior Spirit Band does. They take their experiences as Soldiers and infuse their songs with the emotions of those who have been to war, were wounded and come home to overcome those obstacles and move on with their lives.....”

“HOUSTON - It was a muggy Bayou City night when we first heard Paul De La Cerda self-healing his bomb-injured brain through the soothing rhythm of a rockabilly beat.Call it musical mending for an airborne infantryman battered by combat. Hobbled by dazed days and confused nights, Paul, with drum sticks pounding, replaced memories of bullets and deadly blasts with a noise of his own making.Relief has been his reward and a "band" built of fellow wounded warriors became De La Cerda's abiding dream."To empower the disabled soldier to show him he can help others by showing what he did to heal himself," Paul explains.”