How The War and Treaty's Michael Trotter Jr., an Iraq War Veteran, Came Full Circle on a USO Tour (Exclusive)

In 2004, nearly two decades before the Grammy nominations and the critical acclaim, Michael Trotter Jr. was a U.S. Army soldier in Iraq who was sweeping up a heliport when his mind started to wander, and his imagination took over.

In his mind, the floodlights of a helicopter became stage lights. The broom in his hand became a microphone. He was no longer a soldier in a combat zone. He was living out his dream as a famous singer.

Nearly two decades later, Michael now pairs with his wife Tanya Trotter to form The War & Treaty, a country/R&B/Americana duo that was recently nominated for two Grammy Awards. In December, the pair performed at three U.S. military bases in Korea and one in Guam as part of a tour with the USO, the military support organization.

The tour capped a whirlwind several weeks for the couple: In addition to being nominated for two Grammys in November, the pair sung the Star-Spangled Banner on Thanksgiving Day at a Detroit Lions game, and then recorded a performance for Christmas at Graceland, a holiday special honoring Elvis Presley, which ran on Christmas.

On the tour of military installations, Michael tells PEOPLE, "I had anxiety coming back — all those memories came rushing in. The uniforms, the jargon — it dredged up so many memories, good and bad."

Michael’s success is interwoven with his trauma. During his deployment, his unit was encamped in one of Saddam Hussein’s private palaces, which had a piano in its basement. His commanding officer, Captain Robert Scheetz, knew Michael had a passion for singing, so he encouraged him to toy around on the piano, which is how Michael taught himself how to play the instrument.

Not long after, Scheetz was killed while out on a mission. Michael wrote his first song in Scheetz’s honor. He sang it as his memorial and then began performing at the services of other fallen soldiers.

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The USO tour is especially meaningful to Michael: He knows what service members go through, and how a musical performance can lift their spirits and provide hope. He says he could have gone on a tour at other times of the year, but chose the holiday season, remembering that it can be a difficult time for soldiers separated from their families.

“My message for them is to hold on: You are not your circumstances,” he says. “You are the toughest of the tough. You are our nation’s finest.” He adds that for many service members, “your main fight to weather is the fight for your mental health.”

Michael would know. After he was discharged, he went through hard times, which included unemployment and homelessness. While homeless, he met Tanya, and the couple’s USO trip represented a full-circle moment.

“It was very healing,” Tanya tells PEOPLE. “It was also very educational. It helped me understand [Michael] even more, because I saw him amongst his brothers.”

Now, says Michael, the couple considers themselves “part of the USO family.” He’s proud to use his platform to provide hope for those he termed his “battle buddies” — and to encourage society at large to take better care of service members when they return home.

“We’ve got to do a better job understanding that mental health isn’t a fad,” he says, while adding: “My message to our country is to do better for them.”