#rock force

Pound of Flesh Regina Spektor if you’re never sorry then you can’t be forgiven if you’re not forgiven then you can’t be forgotten Our third road march was supposed to be 10k, but our first sergeant got lost so we ended up with 12k by mistake! Ugh. I tried to keep songs in my head to keep my mind off of things (like blisters and wet socks!), but mostly I got stuck on repeat a lot! Pound of Flesh was another one of my favorites while marching because it’s very rhythmic. IF you’re NEver SORry then YOU can’t BE forGIVEN, etc. I’m Gonna Be The Proclaimers But I would walk 500 miles And I would walk 500 more Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles To fall down at your door Our final road march! 12k, back from Victory Forge. The first like mile of that was hell. Our platoon sergeant was a hella fast walker and I had shin splints like the devil. We left the entire battalion behind, ha. It was the dark of night and storming and it sure felt like 500 miles!! All I could think the entire time was the lyrics above, that and ‘we must be close now!’ American Soldier Toby Keith I’m an American Soldier, an American, Beside my Brothers and my Sisters I will proudly take a stand. When liberty’s in jeopardy I’ll always do what’s right. I’m out here on the front lines, sleep in peace tonight After the road march of hell back from Victory Forge, we formed up in front of the barracks and marched out onto the parade field. Hell, we couldn’t even do that right. Oh, first platoon, you idiots… When we finally got out there, our company commander spoke to us, the drill sergeants shook our hands, and we got to don our black berets. After that Rite of Passage ceremony, we were American Soldiers. And I’ve never been more proud. O Death Jen Titus O Death, O Death O Death My name is death And the end is here Of course, when you’re wearing that shiny little beret, days from graduation, you think you’re hot shit. Or at least some people do. We got into some crazy trouble that last week, just because people started to get stir crazy. I’d see stuff starting up and that humming would start in my head. O Death (or pushups or whatever)! Won’t you spare me over till graduation day!! Proud Mary Tina Turner Big wheel keep on turnin’ Proud Mary keep on burnin’ Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river I only had one drill sergeant I really hated. This woman had no redeeming qualities. EXCEPT her magnificent cadence calling. She taught us to march to Proud Mary. We loved it so much we called it all the time and the other drill sergeants banned it. We didn’t march it again until AIT, when our platoon sergeant there parodied it. The only thing better was when another drill sergeant tried to call cadence to Sexy and I Know It. And the Spongebob theme. DS: WHO LIVES IN A PINEAPPLE UNDER THE SEA?! Us: Uhm…?! DS: It’s Spongebob, privates, come on. How Far We’ve Come Matchbox 20 Well I believe it all is coming to an end Oh well, I guess we’re gonna pretend Let’s see how far we’ve come Let’s see how far we’ve come Just look at us! 10 weeks ago we piled off of the bus, falling over our own feet, terrified of everything and now look! We’re piling onto a bus, marching in step, and still terrified of everything! But we look good. :) We came a very long way in ten weeks. We were a team of soldiers, no longer an island of misfit toys. It was, in a way, the end of a small piece of our world. And the beginning of another. For Good Wicked Who can say if I’ve been Changed for the better? I do believe I have been Changed for the better I love all of my battles. Mo stretched the bounds of credibility and it’ll take a while before I ever miss Ernesto. But for better or worse, I have changed for knowing them and living among them. And for the most part, I take it as a change for good. A lot these days I think that I wish I hadn’t done this, but then I think of them and know I could never wish for a better experience with a better crew. The Fighter Gym Class Heroes If you fall pick yourself up off the floor And when your bones can’t take no more Just remember what you’re here for Cause I know I’mma damn sure give ‘em hell I actually took this song as an anthem even before I left. I’m a little fat person from out in the country, a nerd and a thinker. I’d never been in a fight, never shot a weapon, and preferred to be inside rather than out. I was the last person you’d expect to join the Army. But I wanted this, and I fought for it, and I got it. I am a fighter and now, because of it, I’m a soldier. Timebomb Beck We got a red alert We cut the power and we Na na na na It’s a timebomb ticking After Basic, we packed up and moved to Advance Individual Training (AIT). At AIT you get your devices back. Which meant my iPod!!! I was so unbelievably happy to have my music back. I don’t have a mix for AIT because I was listening to everything after that and didn’t really get an accurate playlist. Oh well. And because my AIT roommate’s alarm reminded me of this song, it was the first song of my music I’d heard in ten weeks. Never has Beck sounded more heavenly! Bonus: Army Song We’re the Army and proudly proclaim First to fight for the right, And to build the Nation’s might And the Army goes rolling along One of my only good memories of our platoon sergeant (who was a crazy bitch) is of her teaching us the Army song outside the survey building. She played it on her phone and directed us as we sang along. For some reason we all had to memorize the Army song, but we never ever sang it. Oh well!

The Afters Light, light, light up the sky You light up the sky to show me You are with me I, I, I can’t deny Oh I can’t deny that You are right here with me The Afters were also featured at that concert. This song hit me very hard spiritually and it’s one of the few times I’ve really felt God’s hand on me. The stars were a comfort for me throughout Basic; I could just look up at them during PT and remember there are other places than here. And I heard at that concert, very clearly, ‘I light the sky for you’. Gonna Be A Lovely Day Kirk Franklin When I think of You Then the world is alright with me Lord just one thought of You And I know it’s gonna be a lovely day I sang this just about every morning, more as a hope than a promise. It usually WASN’T that lovely a day, what with drill sergeants and stupid battle buddies and things. But there was always the hope that the day was going to be a lovely day. And when you’re optimistic like that, the day is always better, no matter what. Love On Top Beyonce You’re the one that gives your all You’re the one I can always call When I need you make everything stop Finally you put my love on top We had a girl in our bay who was pretty nasty, and a bully beside. But mother of mercy, she could sing. We called it turning on the radio. At night we sang karaoke together in the showers. Showers were a big party, actually, completely different from the other bay, who all hated each other. “Mo, turn on the radio!” Love On Top was one of our favorites and sometimes we could even get Mo and Amanda to reenact the music video. Which, in the showers, were a hoot and a half. Have You Got It In You? Imogen Heap It takes a lot to be always on form It takes a lot Maybe not, all the time, all I’ve got Maybe not That was the big question. Have you got it in you? Do you have what it takes to get through this? Most of the time, for me, it wasn’t that hard. But for some of the others- the weak ones, the ones with families, the ones with fears- it was very hard. Several quit and never made it through. There was only one or two times that I seriously thought about quitting. But I didn’t. I Smile Kirk Franklin I smile, even though I’m hurt see I smile, I know God is working so I smile, Even though I’ve been here for a while I smile, smile Another song from church. Obviously we were more than a little gospel. We sang it just about every week because it was so very applicable. We were in there what seemed like forever at the time, and it only occasionally got a little easier. But we had to smile, even when we were down, even though we’d been there for a long time, we smiled. :) Lean On Me Bill Withers Lean on me When you’re not strong And I’ll be your friend I’ll help you carry on The quintessential support song! In training, you’re thrown into a melting pot of hundreds of other people that you may not necessarily like at all. But to get through, you’ve got to help and rely on each other. Around this time in the phase we really came together as a platoon. First platoon, best platoon. We actually won honor platoon at the end of the cycle. The Captain and the Hourglass Laura Marling The captains got his boots on and he’s heading out the door, Leaving his lady alone thinkin’ ‘He don’t love me no more’ He’s done with all this bullshit, He’s going back to war, If Heaven is as Heaven does then this is Hell for sure Second road march. 8k, not too bad but still not the best thing in the world. I really hate foot marching. This was one of my favorite road marching songs. I remember this one particularly; we were going up past the DFAC, in the dark, everyone wearing glowsticks, passing Fox Company, about to head down the Giant Hill of Doom behind the DFAC. ‘If heaven is as heaven does, then this is hell for sure…’

Bless the Lord Godspell Oh bless the Lord my soul His praise to thee proclaimed And all that is within me join To bless His holy name I used to sing this every Saturday. Because Saturdays were combatives. Now, combatives weren’t so bad themselves, but the warmups were hell. We did them once and that was plenty. They were a workout in themselves! So the news that we had like four more Saturdays of them was not well received. But bless the Lord my soul, it rained every Saturday after that first one. Combatives was canceled. It was our own little miracle. Of course, we had to do other crazy crap, but it wasn’t combatives! I Need A Dollar Aloe Bacc Bad times are coming and I reap what I don’t sow Well let me tell you somethin’, all that glitters ain’t gold It’s been a long, old, troubled, long old troublesome road And I’m looking for somebody come and help me carry this load There are SO many things you need at Basic: time, rest, water, food! But rarely is a dollar one of them. But you do need the help of your buddies, your 'battles’ to get through the days. But of course you do get paid for this, which I often forgot, but no one else did! I was singing this during weapons cleaning one day and it turns out one of my battles knows the singer. Cool! Grove Street Party Waka Flocka Flame I gotta a whole lot of money, bitches count it for me Bottle keep poppin’ that’s why the bad hoes jockin’ It’s a party It’s a party It’s a party It’s a party It’s a party It’s a party This because we actually had a drill sergeant reference this song We were doing night land nav and you know there’s always those stupid people who can’t follow directions. So they were running around being loud and acting like it was a big game. And when our drill sergeant caught them, he had them sing this while doing pushups. “You know Waka Flocka Flame? Then sing it, privates! Cause it’s all a party, isn’t it?!” :D Stronger Britney Spears Stronger, than yesterday Now it’s nothing but my way My loneliness ain’t killing me no more I’m stronger When you first get to Basic, most people think they can’t do it. We actually had a girl on the first day, first thing she said was 'I can’t fucking do it’. She marched beside me on graduation day. It is hard and you can’t do it when you first arrive. But every single day you learn a little more, get a little smarter and a little stronger. You learn to rely on your battle buddies, but you also learn how to take care of yourself. And pretty soon you’re marching across that field as an American soldier. Home Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes Ah, home, let me go home Home is wherever I’m with you Ah, home, let me go home Home is wherever I’m with you No matter if you were enjoying training or hating it, home was on all our minds. This was practically our platoon anthem. Sometimes it’d be silent, and then someone would start whistling and we’d all sing. All of us wanted to go home, wherever home was. Phone calls were gold and mail was silver. Any contact from outside was greatly coveted. Anything to help us remember that there was life waiting for us out there somewhere. Mama Said The Shirelles Mama said there’ll be days like this, There’ll be days like this my Mama said Mama said, mama said Hey! Don’t you worry As the cycle went on, we had more good days than bad. But there were always those days. Those horrid days where no one did right and we got smoked and yelled at every five seconds. We’d all be pissed off at each other and not speaking, then our bay leader would start singing this song. Most of the time we’d ignore her, but we all liked that she did it. Because it’s true, there are those days, but you’ve got to be patient and carry on. Feel So Close Calvin Harris And there’s no stopping us right now I feel so close to you right now I feel so close to you right now It’s a force field I got put on profile for five days around the fourth week. Knee strain, pretty bad too. I was limping for a while there. But anyway, the first day we went to a range everyone else had to march there and I had to ride the van. Not that I was complaining! I rode the van on the way back too, and this song came on the radio. And I just watched everyone marching along in front of us and thought, 'We’re going to remember each other for the rest of our lives. This is going to change all of us and these are the people that will stand alongside me during that change.’ I don’t know, I just felt like I was part of them, even though I was riding in the van. Captain Jack Captain Jack Hey yo Captain Jack Bring me back to the railroad track Gimme a gun in my hand I want to be a shootin’ man The beginning of white phase! Red phase, there’s lots of yelling and getting in trouble and you never do anything right. White phase there’s less total control, you get a little more freedom, and you get to start singing cadence on marches. The first time our drill sergeant tried to call cadence for us, we had no idea what was going on. But we picked it up pretty quick! Captain Jack is one of my favorite cadences. I believe this song says Air Force, but of course we say Army instead. :) Party in the USA Miley Cyrus Feel like hoppin’ on a flight, Back to my hometown tonight, Something stops me every time, The DJ plays my song and I feel alright Another song heard during motor move. Riding the bus to and from ranges was the only time we ever got to hear music. No matter what it was, we enjoyed it because it was music. When this came on, the whole bus groaned, but we were all singing it, it was hilarious. And because my mind works in weird ways, the song reminded me of us. Hop off the bus, not knowing anyone or anything, but then we hit our groove and we rock it anyway. Not that BCT’s a party, but we made do. Jesus Walks Kanye West God show me the way because the Devil trying to break me down The only thing that that I pray is that my feet don’t fail me now And I don’t think there is nothing I can do now to right my wrongs I want to talk to God but I’m afraid because we ain’t spoke in so long Aside from the obvious connotations of Jesus walking with us through BCT, this is actually on here for another reason. We were out at Victory Hammer about to do some night land nav and somehow ended up talking about Kanye West. Zack brought up Jesus Walks and next thing you know I’m dropping the beat and they’re rapping it. “Oh my God, listen to Daniel! Holy crap!” For some reason people think I’m a complete innocent.

I Get It In Omarion I get it in, I get it in I get it in, I get up in the game I get it in, I get it in I get it in, I get up in the thing They only called us into the DFAC (dining facility) like thirty at a time, so sometimes you stood out there and waited for a while. We always used to try and see how many we could get in at a time, which prompted me singing this song every time we went down to chow. I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean getting privates into the DFAC, but whatever. Dog Days Are Over Florence + the Machine Run fast for your mother run fast for your father Run for your children for your sisters and brothers Leave all your love and your longing behind you Can’t carry it with you if you want to survive I mainly had this song because it was on Covert Affairs. When we went to Victory Tower, we had to rappel down a forty foot wall. So much fun. If they’d asked for volunteers, I would’ve been first in line and that made me think of Annie Walker and her fearlessness in most everything. And there’s also the running aspect of it, we do lots of running around. Too much. And finally, there’s now the fact that the dog days of BCT are finally over! The Old Landmark James Brown Let us all (all go back) to the old (old landmark) Let us all (all go back) to the old (old landmark) Let us all (all go back) to the old (old landmark) And we’ll stay in the service of the Lord Ahh, church! The refuge of the tired, the lazy, and the fraternizers. Oh yes, and the people who actually want to worship. I sang this on the way to church every Sunday. I loved church at BCT. It was a very encouraging atmosphere, full of dancing and singing and general friendliness. And no drill sergeants! At least until the last couple weeks. Anyways. Church was awesome. Screw the Okampa! Voltaire So hoist up the aft nacelles See how the warp core burns Tell Janeway to go to hell I wanna go home This song really needs no explanation. I wanna go home. I wanna go home. I say fuck Basic Training, I wanna go home. I only sang this on the really bad days, or first thing in the way too early morning. But some were singing this chorus right up through Victory Forge. Lately OJ da Juiceman Little do they know, white chalk on the pavement All about my paper If you owe me, better pay me Lately, I feel like e'erbody hate me Hey, in BCT, everyone does hate you. Drill sergeants hate your existence, civilians hate you for some reason I still haven’t figured out, and you all hate each other because you’re all different and awkward and so freaking stupid. When you’re a private, no one likes you. Privates will get to like other privates (we did), but there’s always some senior somebody that’s going to hate your guts. Promise. Rawhide Theme Rawhide Keep moving, moving, moving Though they’re disapproving Keep them doggies moving Rawhide Marching to the gas chamber! It was at the bottom of a really freaking big hill. Marching down, no problem. Marching up? A whole other story! Add to that the fact that I watched the Blues Brothers three times in a row the day before I shipped and you get me singing 'rolling, rolling, rolling’ all the way there and back. Keep them feet rolling! Rawhide! Love Song Sarah Bareilles Promise me that you’ll leave the light on To help me see with daylight, my guide, gone 'Cause I believe there’s a way you can love me Because I say I won’t write you a love song Foot march number one! That was honestly fun, tell the truth. All the other marches were hell, but this one… Two miles, very little gear, and everyone was happy. Most of the time the drill sergeants made us be quiet, but this time we got to sing. My bay leader started singing this song and pretty soon the whole platoon was singing. It was awesome. Aspiring Fires Mother Mother Maybe, you’re watching too much TV Because crazy in the box is everything that crazy’s not A little advice for aspiring fires You’ll get put out if you don’t get a little wild As privates, we’re what you’d call aspiring fires. Aspiring to be something great, but we’ll get snuffed out in a heartbeat if we don’t get motivated and put 100% into what we do. Get crazy. :) My platoon, through the first like three weeks, tried and tried but we could never get it right. We were the worst platoon for a while. Then, suddenly, we clicked. We still sucked, but everyone else sucked worse. We Found Love Rihanna Yellow diamonds in the light And we’re standing side by side As your shadow crosses mine We found love in a hopeless place Even though we were at boot camp, a place some would call a fairly hopeless place sometimes, we found ways to be happy. We heard this while riding out to a range one day and it struck me as appropriate. Even in BCT where we were supposed to be miserable, most of us were happy most of the time. We pulled each other through. Tonight Tonight Hot Chelle Ray There’s a party on the rooftop top of the world Tonight tonight and we’re dancing on the edge of the Hollywood sign I don’t know if I’ll make it but watch how good I’ll fake it It’s all right, all right, tonight, tonight Obviously sung on weekends. It was always a really really messed up week for one reason or another, but every night was rest and every morning was a new day. You had to learn to brush off yesterday and start new the next day. Otherwise you get all tangled up and mad all the time. You had to learn that it really was alright in the end.

Starbuck on the Red Moon Battlestar Galactica Instrumental This was the first one on here, before I even shipped out. It’s a slow build, kind of like the buildup to Basic Training (BCT), and also kind of tense at first. It’s tense before you leave: no idea what to expect, what you’ll do or who you’ll meet. But then you arrive. It’s intense and frightening and all brand new and for a while there you’re not sure you can make it. Then it evens out into something amazing. Still intense, still tough, but totally worth it. Starlight Muse Far away, This ship is taking me far away, Far away from the memories Of the people who care if I live or die A good friend of mine (who actually left for Air Force BCT the day I graduated) played this for me before I left. Leaving out that that alone was very special, it was like really hearing the song for the first time. I’m going somewhere, with all these hopes and expectations, and no one really cares about me there. Everyone who actually cares about me is being left behind. I’m going out there on my own. But I’ll be back. Click Click Boom Saliva Why have I clouded up my mind Why’s my mother always right And will I make it to the end Or will I crawl away and die I was trying to sleep on the drive up to Fort Jackson, because I had this sneaking suspicion that I wouldn’t be getting much sleep for the next…ever again. But my driver (one of the recruiters from my station) insisted on listening to his music. Loud. This just happened to be appropriate. Awesome Roscoe Dash Awesome, awesome, I’m so awesome Everything I do is awesome God damn it I’m so motherfuckin’ awesome Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah While we were at reception, getting processed in and waiting to be taken off to training, one girl played this on her phone constantly. I like this song, plus it’s slightly applicable. We’re the US Army, and we are awesome. :) All Along the Watchtower Battlestar Galactica There must be some way out of here Said the joker to the thief There’s too much confusion I can’t get no relief I know, it’s an actual song. But the BSG version shown here is the one I thought of most. There is, of course, the element of being a soldier, being on the front line and being effectively the watchman on the tower. And that there must be some way out of here, lol. Mostly, though, I just remembered the immortal words of Kara Thrace: “It’s gonna be okay.” Walla Walla Billy Maher Give this pudden back to me dear mother An’ tell her I slew ten vermin with it Say I don’t wish to cause any bother But the sergeant’s a silly great twit Ohhh, the Long Patrol marching songs. :) I wish I’d had more of these memorized. I had a friend call me a Long Patrol hare before I left and the longer I was in BCT the more I realized how true it was!! The Army is almost the closest thing to the Long Patrol that humans have. All their woes are ours! Party Rock Anthem LMFAO Party rock is in the house tonight Everybody just have a good time And we gonna make you lose your mind Everybody just have a good time Our unit was Charlie 3/34, Charlie Rock. Our motto was Rock Force, thus the mix title. The album cover is our crest. We had a reputation for having badass females and for being undisciplined. They were just jealous that we could get the same shit done better with less drill sergeant yelling. Some of our guys used to sing ‘Charlie Rock is in the house tonight!’, thus the inclusion of this song. Rock Force! Battle Chris August There’s a snake that is hiding in the garden There’s a beautiful apple tree There is struggle on the horizon , but I’m claiming victory Whoa oh oh oh no I’m not giving in now I know, the song’s about the battle between good and evil within us. It also made me think of the battle inside us between the way we used to be and the way the Army wanted to make us. Also, the line I’m not giving up now stood out particularly, for obvious reasons. You can’t give up in BCT; you just can’t. Well, I can’t. We had a guy quit the first week. But there’s no way I was quitting. Keep Your Head Up Andy Grammer I know it’s hard, know it’s hard, To remember sometimes, But you gotta keep your head up, oh, And you can let your hair down, eh. It’s been a tough year. Not gonna lie. So this has been pretty much my theme song since forever. But it came up a lot in Basic. No matter how tough it gets and no matter how much you hate it, you absolutely have to keep your head up and stay motivated and stay positive. I didn’t usually have a problem with that, but my platoon… Gods be good. But we all made it through and we all had our heads up on graduation day. Laddie Buck Billy Maher Pick ‘em up, laddie buck And put ‘em down, laddie buck You made it home and now You’re out of luck, out of luck Another Long Patrol song. So shoot me, they were my favorite books for a really long time. Still are, in a way. Anyways, this is, like most of these songs, applicable all the way across the board. Most of the time on long marches where I was about to give out, all I could think was 'pick em up, put em down, pick em up, put em down’. And eventually I made it home.