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(Re-posted from 2005-07-11 19:22:18. The contast between terrorists and those who fight them can't be more obvious. Too bad many don't see it.)
If you think about the music associated with Vietnam you likely think about the anti-war songs, or the stuff that made it's way onto soundtracks of Vietnam films. The Door's The End from Apocalypse Now, Creedence Run Through the Jungle or Hendrix Voodoo Child and All Along the Watchtower from just about every film of Vietnam ever made. The entire soundtrack to Good Morning Vietnam is another example. Great songs all.
But something different is happening in Iraq. Just like MilBloggers telling their own stories using the modern internet, now soldiers in Iraq can record their own music using low cost, portable gear. That high-tech stuff is helping the re-birth of an ancient tradition. This generation's great ballads are being written. Warrior poets are back, and they aren't dreaming about seeing bomber death planes riding shotgun in the sky turning in to butterflies above our nation.
This is the song of the year. No, it's better than that. It's one for the ages. I tear up when I hear this one. Maybe it's just because I was there, and this captures how I feel about the experience.
Local Guardsman is a real 'American Soldier'FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAMP JOSEPH T. ROBINSON, Ark. (6/30/2005) ? An Arkansas National Guard soldier who recently returned from a one-year tour of duty with the 39th Brigade Combat Team in Iraq is scheduled to appear on the Fox News Channel Monday, July 4 at 12:48 p.m. EDT to share a special story about his experience.
When Arkansas Army National Guard Spc. Luke Stricklin looked for a way to answer the repeatedly-asked question "What's it like over there [in Iraq]?" his response came in the form of a song titled "American by God's Amazing Grace," which has received nationwide acclaim.
With a guitar bought off the streets of Baghdad, a laptop, and a $10 microphone hung from the center of his rugged tent, Stricklin used his makeshift studio to record the song he'd written to express his experience and what he viewed through his own eyes while in Iraq.
Emailed home to family and friends, the rough-cut tune found its way to a local radio station where it proceeded to garner an overwhelming response from listeners. Soon, national media outlets across the country were inquiring about this soldier turned singer.
Stricklin, described by fellow soldiers as "a good soldier and a good guy," "the total package," and "an incredible singer," is also said to be as laid back as they come. Not looking for fame or fortune, he simply wanted to offer a reminder of the many privileges Americans often take for granted while others are fighting and dying for much less. This humble soldier originally of Arkadelphia, Ark., who joined the Guard when he was 17 and now lives near Van Buren, Ark., says he had no idea the song would take him this far.
Luke Stricklin is scheduled to release his debut self-titled album in August and is also slated to appear on KATV's ?Good Morning Arkansas? on Friday, July 1. To hear his music, visit www.lukestricklin.com.
There are some other examples of tunes from Iraq here.
Milbloggers have our own balladeer. We debutted Goldfalcon's My Pretty Ones here a couple days ago but we're putting it in "heavy rotation" because this is another song you don't want to miss.
Here are the lyrics:
My Pretty Ones
He slides out of the driveway,
points his headlights toward the highway
still tryin? hard not to make that sound.
Got two in bed and one at the door,
pretty soon there?ll be one more.
They?re all cryin?, askin? him to stay.
He says ?Oh, no, my pretty ones.
There?s a need for men and guns,
and it ain?t enough to sit and pray.
Sometimes even good men go away.?
Yeah, Daddy?s gone a soldier,
got an Eagle on his shoulder,
flag on his arm and he?s gonna make ?em pay.
Back home they?re scared of fightin?
sayin? ?You don?t have to die, son?.
The kids say ?Daddy, are you comin? home today??
He says ?Oh, no, my pretty ones.
There?s a need for men and guns,
there?s just too much at stake.
There?s some things in life you gotta face.?
Well there?s a letter in a locker,
when she gets it, it?ll drop her.
It?s sittin? underneath some baby boots she made.
It says ?Oh, no, my pretty ones,
I guess this means my time is done.
Like gypsies who never stay,
Daddies only come to go away.?
Just go listen. This is awesome.
Finally (for now) if you'd like to hear something in it's finished version don't forget On Leaving - a song inspired by a post I wrote the day I left for Iraq. I don't take any credit for the finished product, the band is responsible for that, but they captured the moment on this one.
