Rockin' in Iraq: U.S. Marine brings music to OIF

Courtesy Photo | CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq -- Lance Cpl. Jeremiah K. Barr, a fiscal clerk currently serving his country with Quick Reaction Force, Provisional Rifle Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), shows his tattoos while taking a break from playing his guitar here Dec. 12. The King, N.C., native said music is everything, and he never goes anywhere -- including Iraq -- without a guitar (Photo by Cpl. John E. Lawson Jr.)  

AL TAQADDUM, IRAQ

12.13.2005

Courtesy Story

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CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (Dec. 12, 2005) " "Mama told me, when I was young, come sit beside me, my only son, and listen closely to what I sayâ?¦" Lynyrd Skynyrd's lyrics echo across the dark Taqaddum night, accompanied by the ringing tones and slight buzz of an acoustic guitar.

The source of the ballad? The smoky, dimly lit area near the Iraqi teashop aboard Camp Taqaddum. Among the U.S. servicemembers sitting in the small patch of dusty ground surrounded by garden lights and a few trees is Lance Cpl. Jeremiah K. Barr.

The fiscal clerk currently serving his country with Quick Reaction Force, Provisional Rifle Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) sits with fellow Marines and Soldiers, strumming his guitar and singing with a lit cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. Sometimes other guitarists, from the novice to the well experienced, join in; sometimes there is a banjo or an acoustic bass guitar too. But there is always Barr, and sometimes there is only Barr " Barr and his guitar.

The King, N.C., native has been playing the guitar for about seven years, he said, having taught himself after finding his father's guitar and picking it up as a child.

"Music is a great thing," he said. "You can express so much with music."

While Barr plays rock "n roll and country music from many famous musicians, he also writes his own songs and frequently improvises. He hopes to eventually record and release an album, having already made arrangements to record with a friend after he completes his year-long tour and returns to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., early next year. He also does some recording on his laptop computer.

Barr draws on his past experiences -- from the death of a loved one to the distance felt by deployed service members and past relationships " to write his material.

"I play to relieve stress, control my emotions, suppress my anger, and show how I feel," the 21 year old said. "It gets my mind off what's going on."

Having brought a guitar to Iraq eases the tension felt after a hard day's patrolling or other duties is not something new to Barr. He said he has always taken his guitar with him, wherever he goes, including a tour of duty in Japan: the source of one of his favorite guitar-related memories.

"There was this park at the bottom of a mountain on the island of Miyajima. I sat down and started to play when a bunch of [older] Japanese guys who had been to an English class asked me to play some song," he said. "So I played it and the next thing I knew I had a whole crowd around me listeningâ?¦ they just kind of showed up."

Guitar is Barr's life, he said. "When I am not playing guitar I am sleeping, eating or working."

Barr currently owns 4 guitars, a 12-string Seagull acoustic, a Seagull artist series electric acoustic, a Suzuki acoustic, and an electric guitar. His Seagull artist series and his Suzuki have both seen duty in Iraq.

For additional information on the servicemembers or events covered in this story, contact [e-mail]

• Date Taken: 12.13.2005
• Date Posted: 12.13.2005 16:28
• Story ID: 4066
• Location: AL TAQADDUM, IQ