Tom Ricks's Inbox

Sunday, June 24, 2007

As the United States mounted one of the largest ground offensives of the Iraq war last week, one soldier's soundtrack for the battle played on. This report by "Eddie," an 82nd Airborne infantryman who deployed earlier this year, was posted on "The Sandbox" ( http://gocomics.typepad.com/the_sandbox/ ), an illuminating discussion by troops about life in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that's part of the Web site for the "Doonesbury" comic strip.

The list struck me because I once hitched a ride across Baghdad with a rowdy bunch of infantry scouts who had rigged their Humvee with a sound system and were blasting a song by Godsmack, a band I'd never heard before.

Many civilians are likely to be shocked by Eddie's list. I'd recommend that they consider the unnatural task for which he is steeling himself: picking up a weapon and going out prepared to kill people he has never seen before, or perhaps to be killed by them.

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For the longest time here in Iraq I went without any kind of music. Well, one day I gave in and bought an IPOD Nano. I got a bunch of songs from all the guys in my platoon and put together several playlists. I figured I would share my "Pre-Mission" playlist. It's what I listen to before I'm about to head out on patrol or on a mission, and it really gets me pumped up and in the mood to go out.

Dem Boyz -- Boyz N Da Hood

Break Stuff -- Limp Bizkit

America, [Expletive] Yeah! -- Team America Soundtrack

Freedom Isn't Free -- Team America Soundtrack

Voodoo -- Godsmack

Jesus Walks -- Kanye West

Gotta Stay Fly -- Three 6 Mafia

Bang Bang -- Ramstein

Du Hast -- Ramstein

Stomp (Remix) -- Young Buck

Another One Bites the Dust -- Queen

Chop Suey -- System of a Down

[Expletive] the System -- System of a Down

Wake Me Up When September Ends -- Green Day

Let The Bodies Hit The Floor -- Drowning Pool

I'm Already There (Messages from Home) -- Lonestar

Down -- 311

Killing in the Name Of -- Rage Against the Machine

Symphony of Destruction -- Megadeath

So there ya go. That is the music that gets this soldier going before he leaves the wire.

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In the June 17th Inbox, I quoted some of the 213 things that a "Spec. Schwarz" had learned cannot be done in the U.S. military. Since then, Jonathan Schwarz has surfaced and identified himself as the author of that list. He notes that he isn't female and that his complete catalog of forbidden actions can be read at http://www.skippyslist.com/skippylist.html .

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Tom Ricks is The Post's military correspondent. This feature aims to give readers a snapshot of the conversations about Iraq, Afghanistan and other matters that play out in Ricks's e-mail inbox. Have an interesting document? Send it to TheInbox@washpost.com