The songs featured on Rifles & Rosary Beads were all co-written as part of SongwritingWith:Soldiers, a non-profit program that facilitates retreats bringing professional songwriters together with wounded veterans and active duty military. Participants have shared that the experience of songwriting was life changing for them, some even said life saving. No stranger to pain or demons herself, Gauthier has used songwriting to work through addiction and childhood abandonment as an orphan, but this is the first album where she has focused solely on experiences other than her own. Mary Gauthier is helping veterans share experiences that only they can understand, in a way that we as listeners can relate to. This process not only has the power to touch others but also to help soldiers take a step towards healing, while at the same time creating beautiful art.