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Soldier's make music in war zone

Courtesy Photo | Pfc. Shelton Hightower performs during a Halloween night concert at the Morale,...... read more read more

11.01.2006

Courtesy Story

5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

by Sgt. Antonieta Rico
5th Mobile Public Affairs Det. (Forward)

Mosul, Iraq--- It was a moment suspended from reality. Outside the war was going on. Outside there were snipers, insurgents and IED's (improvised explosive devices). But inside the MWR tent at FOB Marez, Mosul, the only ammunition flying on Halloween night was the lyrical bullets of Strong Arm of the South, an all-Soldier hip hop group.

SAS's beats reached into the crowd, transforming a subdued audience into energetic fans. And although the music echoed the war going on outside the forward operating base, it resonated with the crowd, managing to turn harsh reality into a hip hop beat they could embrace and move with.

"Surviving on this one way/ striving for a better way/ not only grinding but I'm hustling for my wife's sake/ its full time with out a break/ cautious with the steps I take/ don't get your thoughts misconstrued its deadly on this one way."

Those lines from the song "One Way Street," which SAS performed during the concert at the Morale and Welfare tent, are the words of Soldiers speaking to their fellow Soldiers, said Spec. Bobbie Jones.

"I feel the words when I'm writing my verse," said Jones, a military policeman, "things that I write I usually try to write from the heart."

Jones, 549th Military Police Company, Pfc. Shelton Hightower, a Soldier with 296th Brigade Support Battalion, 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, along with Spec. Jabari Jackson, 511th Military Police Company, 10th Mountain Division, Pfc. Moses Mouzone, also with 296th BSB and Staff Sgt. Gregory Arnold, with 1st Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment (Airborne), form SAS.

SAS joins an increasing number of Soldiers who have found a productive outlet, through hip hop, for dealing with the day-to-day realities of war.

"Soldiers can come together and do something positive," said Arnold.

Not only do the Soldiers speak to their brethren, but in their music they try to convey to people back home the life of Soldiers in Iraq.

Jones talks matter-of -factly about the war, and the possibility of death.

"Why am I going to be scared out here, I'm living to die anyways," he said, "If
it's my time it's my time. I'm going to fight like a Soldier out here, and die like a man."

It's that raw sentiment, inspired by the war, which comes out in their lyrics and beats.

"...To my comrades/ family/ mom and dad/ please don't stop prayin for me/ I know that you see/ what they say on the news/ don't you believe it/ it's not the truth/ its kill or be killed/ and we don't want to die/ we do what we have to/ to stay alive/ it's so hard to live this life..."

That particular verse from the song "Comrade" was inspired when Jackson talked to his mom, who told him the media was reporting misconduct by Soldiers. Jackson said that his mom questioned his purpose in Iraq, but he affirmed his belief that Soldiers are fighting for a higher cause.

Their music touches themes such as the death of fellow Soldiers, acceptance of their mission in Iraq, pride in being a Soldier and trying to make it through their year-long deployment.

"We share what we have learned out here in the area of battle, on a level that the average American can understand; music," Jackson said.

For Jones, music is a way to express his feelings.

"To me music is an outlet to a lot of emotions," said Jones, "Especially out here in Iraq; you can get pretty down if you keep everything inside you."

The group hopes to continue performing once all the members return home, and are confident they can find a record deal. The group believes being Soldiers gives them an extra edge over other artists.

"We are bringing the Soldier side to music back to the streets," said Hightower.
In the end, however, Jackson said their music is more than just about the war, it's about connecting people.

Their music connects Soldiers to civilians, but it also helped connect the Soldiers to each other here in Iraq. Jackson is originally from Atlanta, Ga., and is stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y., Jones is from Miami, Fla., stationed at Ft. Stewart, Ga., Arnold is from Jacksonville, Fla., stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., Mouzone is from St. Helena Island, Buford, S.C. and Hightower is from Texas, both Mouzone and Hightower are stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash. The five Soldiers represent four different Army posts and four states.

"It's about individuals coming together for a common cause," Jackson said, "Coming from different places but ending up at the same endpoint."