Army combat veteran Scotty Hasting, who will be appearing at the American Legion National Convention next week, is now a singer and songwriter who shares his story on this week’s Tango Alpha Lima podcast.
Scotty Hasting, who will be appearing at the American Legion National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 26, is a wounded Army combat veteran turned actor, singer and songwriter. Get a preview now as Hasting is the special guest on this week’s episode of The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast.
“For me, the demons of PTSD knock the loudest when it's quiet. When I have a guitar in my hands, I find peace," says Hasting, a Purple Heart recipient who served with the 1st Infantry Division, 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry. In April 2011, he was shot 10 times at close distance by a gunman in Afghanistan. Following a long recovery, he found solace in music, first picking up a guitar in 2020.
Hasting, who has performed at the Grand Ole Opry, will play his own music, sing the National Anthem, hand out awards to recipients on stage and speak about his military experience at the opening of the general session.
“We’re going to have a good time,” he said. “You guys are going to get to know me on a different level. It’s going to be fun.”
Hasting riffs on several topics:
• First deployment: “It’s terrifying. You don’t know what to expect at first. It’s just like another training day (at first). It doesn’t get real until you get shot at the first time.”
• “Scars,” his new track: “It is an amazing conversation I had with the two co-writers who were on it with me, Daniel Ethridge and Cole Phillips. We were having a conversation about me getting shot in Afghanistan and the scars that were left from it, both physically and mentally. It kind of blossomed into this outlaw feeling song.”
• Performing: “Everyone always asks if I’m nervous. Well, no one is shooting at me today. I do get nervous backstage. But that also means you care. The military has helped me out with this. Sometimes on stage, something goes wrong and you have to adapt on the fly.”
• His advice to other veterans: “Just keep moving forward. There were so many times when I could have quit. I thought about it and just kept pushing forward. Now I am doing things I never thought possible.”
So far in his brief career, Hasting has opened for artists including Dave Grohl, Jelly Roll, Chris Janson, Craig Morgan, Parmalee, Lee Brice and Tanya Tucker. His upbeat follow-up single, "Pro Beer," released in March 2025, highlights his versatility and connection to fans.
Also in this episode, co-hosts Adam Marr, Joe Worley and Stacy Pearsal talk about:
• A prestigious recognition for Medal of Honor recipient Marine Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, who served in the Afghanistan war.
• The “Wayspring Wanderer,” a book written by Worley, debuts on Kindle.
• The worst MRE, according to Reddit users.
• A Bravo Zulu for some American Legion Riders.
You can also check out the more than 300 Tango Alpha Lima podcasts available in both audio and video formats here. You can also download episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available at the Legion’s YouTube channel.
- Tango Alpha Lima