Another Stretch in Iraq

A Dear John story that struck home in Longwood Fl

Several years ago I wrote a song called Another Stretch in Iraq. It would prove to touch some hearts and minds in a way I never saw coming.

I’ve often taken the songwriting route of letting my muse take me where it wants to go when I am writing songs, but sometimes it is more deliberate.

One day I read an article about a woman in the US military who came home from serving in Iraq. She held on through some intense experiences, knowing that she had a loving partner to return to. Sadly when she returned, he had moved on and was in a new relationship with her best friend.

She reenlisted. It turns out that this is pretty common.

“I might as well sign up for another stretch
There's nothing left to keep me here
Ain't life a bitch
At least in the army, I know where I stand
Serving my country in a foreign land”

I wanted to share that story in a way that was meaningful, and that listeners could relate to. The first thing I did was join the Milblogging site. Sadly the site has since disappeared. The site connected me to blogs from thousands of service people that were serving or had served in various theatres. I was able to join after explaining my purpose.

I spent about 6 months communicating online with service people of various ranks, who either had served in Iraq, were currently deployed or were reenlisting. Some of them had similar stories which they told me about.

They trusted me and I learned a lot about their lives, their hopes, their agonies in losing brothers and sisters, general life and the isolation from their families Their fellows became their families, such that many could not and still can not adjust to civilian life, without their brothers and sisters from the service.

In my song, I shared the longing for home, for their partners, and the bitterness of betrayal. “It was home where I was shot by friendly fire.”

“Sit-rep says it's all haywire
It's home where I got shot by friendly fire
I'm going back
Home is where I thought I wanted to be
Now I'd rather have my Bradley and an MRE
Even in Iraq”

I wrote about how it was often cold in the Iraqi desert in winter, and about the packages the soldiers received from home which often included miniature Christmas trees.

Forward a couple of years, and I was heading to Orlando to chaperone members of my daughter’s cheerleading team, who were competing in the cheerleading world championship. That’s my daughter Tracy on top who was a flyer.

I put the feelers out, and got the opportunity to perform while I was there. I played in a biker-friendly bar in Longwood Fl, and my song Another Stretch in Iraq was on the setlist I performed with some great backing from the house band, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band.

I wish I had taken some photos because it was the classic bar that most Kiwis only experience in movies and TV shows. There were about 30 Harleys parked in a neat row out front, sawdust on the floor, the sort of place that Kiwis only see on movies and TV shows, and that the cab driver thought I had no place being until he saw the friendly bear hug greeting I got from the woman who ran it. “That’s how we role around here” she welcomed me.

After finishing the song, a group of 6-foot something, burly men came up to the stage. The biggest of them all came up to me with tears in his eyes and I thought I was about to become roadkill. I was seriously wondering whether I needed to head for the nearest exit and if I had offended them.

He and his friends looked me in the eye and then each of them shook my hand in turn. One told me that I took him right back to the theatre at Desert Storm. He re-enlisted twice and his son had just left for Iraq a week ago.

It was so rewarding to me that I had captured the emotions and environment with integrity, and that the song gave them some comfort. I haven’t worked harder, or longer, writing a song and would love to record it professionally. I subsequently added it to a collection of songs that I shared with the military on a site that offered them free downloads.

The most satisfying thing for any writer is when something you wrote resonates with the listener. When they are moved by it.

This recording was done on a basic home recording unit and I would love to do a professional recording one day.

#Iraq #Military #Desertstorm #USService #Songwriting #Florida #Milblogging