Back to the Good Ole USA

[1monster]

Run time: 04:04 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpjIqL3iLiI   Posted on YouTube: July 07, 2011 By YouTube Member: Davideligrimes Views on YouTube: 192   Posted on DU: July 31, 2011 By DU Member: 1monster Views on DU: 521

 
I was at an Uptown Saturday Night Art Walk Open House Reception in St. Augustine last night, when this gentleman and his wife came in with a cople of CDs and a press release.

He said that he had been in Iraq for four months, and being a singer/songwriter, he was moved to write a song for the soldiers with whom he spent time. He wanted to write the song from their perspective so he asked them for their ideas.

David Eli Grimes, a master electrician, had been laid off three times in the last five years and had fallen into financial distress, so he accepted an Army contract that would pay him regularly.

He gave no thought to danger. After all, if the military was inviting civilians to Iraq, it must be safe, no?

Mr. Grimes requests that you watch the video and get it as many hits as you can.

http://www.dvidshub.net/news/74517/back-good-ole-usa-musicians-song-touches-hearts-service-members-and-families

News: Back to the good ole’ USA: Musician’s song touches the hearts of service members and families
362nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment Story by Pfc. Anthony T Zane

Grimes arrived in Iraq in early March after falling under financial strain back home. He was offered a contract to provide his expertise as a master electrician on Contingency Operating Base Basra for the U.S. Army. He journeyed all the way from his peaceful, river-front home in St. Augustine, leaving the Florida heat behind to head into another kind of heat altogether. (snip)

Then, within the first few hours he arrived, he heard rockets impact in the distance. This was an eye-opening experience for him. (snip)


That Friday night, after a long day’s work of setting up electrical systems in the desert heat, he walked over to the USO.

Grimes found a small group of soldiers there that night. Since he did not have his own guitar with him, a soldier in the group loaned him one. As the soldier handed the guitar to Grimes, he told him that he had bought it from another soldier who did not make it home. He felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up, he said. That had a profound effect on Grimes and gave him the idea for a song. (snip)