An Iraqi Soldier’s Song
08 Aug 2005
Luke Stricklin was in the National Guard and stationed over in Baghdad, Iraq. Some of the experiences were too difficult to communicate to his family. When he phoned home, he struggled for the right words. Most of the time he didn’t really want to talk about the war.
As his family struggled to understand what he was going through, the 22 year old found it more difficult to express himself. Then one day while looking at the bottom of his boots inspiration hit. He began to write down some lines about his boots and his faded uniform. The lines he started with were the roots of a song Luke named “American by God’s Amazing Grace.” Luke then collaborated with another soldier. With his friend’s help, a used guitar, and a laptop computer, he recorded the song. He then emailed it to his Mother.
You never know what will happen when your Mother gets involved! When Luke returned home a few months later, he was in for a surprise. His mother had forwarded the song to a radio station and it was being played on country music stations in several states. The song that sprang from his war experiences was a hit.
He is now out of Iraq. He’s recorded an album based on that first song. The album will be released around September 2005. He also performed at some local venues. Luke hopes this is the start of a career in music.
