American by God's Amazing Grace

Soldier in Iraq Records Country-Music Hit By CARYN ROUSSEAU, Associated Press Writer
7 minutes ago

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - His boots battered, his spirits sinking, Luke Stricklin struggled to explain his experiences in Iraq to his family and friends back home who kept asking him what it was like to fight in Baghdad.

"Time calling home was precious," the soldier said. "That's the last thing you wanted to talk about. Mom always said I wasn't telling her the truth, which I wasn't. I would tell her everything was just fine. Ashley, my wife, couldn't hear me talk about it. We just talked about anything else."

He couldn't speak the words. But he could sing them. He looked at the bottom of his boots one day. The boots he'd worn 12 hours a day for 14 months became the breakthrough.

"Bottom of my boots sure are getting worn," the 22-year-old Arkansas National Guardsman wrote. "There's a lot of holes in this faded uniform. Hands are black with dirt and so is my face. Ain't ever been to hell, but it can't be any worse than this place."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050729/ap_on_re_us/music_soldier_s_song
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what I heard of the lyrics of the song (http://www.lukestricklin.com/)
it's not a patiotic rant but the story of young boy drawn in a war he doesn't understand and who wants to go home...

somehow it reminds me of the Vietnam era

any comments, I couldn't find the whole lyrics on the net ?

Haven't heard it myself, but I trust your review of the lyrics about it not being a patriotic rant. Nevertheless, the jingoistic title, "American by God's Amazing Grace", reminds me of the "Thank God I'm White" sentiments of the anti-civil rights crowd in the 50' & 60's.