Vol. 2 No. 3 (July 1, 2004) Page 5
IN THIS ISSUE:

Fest-Heaven or Festi-Hell? / Birmingham
Page 1
Page 2

BTE's "Imperfect" / Graham Colton Band
Page 3

Ezra Radio / USAToday Pic
Page 4

Desperately Wanting in Iraq
Page 5

Just the Fakts Ma'am
 Page 6

The Bootlog
 Page 7

Fan Profile /
What Lurks Below
Page 8

The Reviews
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13

BTE Caption
Contest Winners
Page 14

News & Links
Page 15

Map of Ezra
 Page 16

TTOY Hall of Fame
Page 17

BTE Impressions
Page 18

THE ARCHIVES

Volume 1
 Mar. 2003
May 2003
July 2003
Sept. 2003
Nov. 2003
Jan. 2004

Volume 2
Mar. 2004
May 2004


 

 

DESPERATELY WANTING IN BAGHDAD: BTE IS THE SOUNDTRACK FOR THIS SPACE IN TIME
by EnglishDave

A Kansas Ezralite recently shared a very moving video with The Serenade. The video was created by several of her friends serving with the U.S. Army in Baghdad, Iraq. The soundtrack? Better Than Ezra’s "Desperately Wanting."

The video is a snapshot of their lives and mission. No matter your opinions about the war, the video provides an insight into the conditions in which they are serving and the sacrifices they make for each and every one of us, each and every day.

The Street Serenade has been fortunate to be able to conduct an email interview with two of the videos creators – Spc. Heath Lawson and Spc. Dan Hoelter – to find out more about these soldiers’ lives and the making of the video.


Heath Helping an Iraqi Child
(Photo: www.the-heath.com)

The Serenade: This is an amazing video, can you tell us why you decided to make it?
Dan & Heath: Considering this is an extreme spring break for us, we decided to make as many positive times out of this as possible. We felt that this is an experience one probably won't forget, so we try and always make the best of things here. However, we're going to fire our travel agent when we get back.

The Serenade: "Desperately Wanting" is great soundtrack. For me, it conveys the extent of the sacrifices you are making, is this the message were you trying to convey?
Heath: Well, the initial idea was just to make a video to send back home to our families and friends. After I added the music to it, it grew to a lot more and everything seemed to click really well. What the video doesn't tell you is that all of us sacrificed something to come over here and do our job. Dan had to leave in his last semester of college, I left behind a great job and family. It is an amazing example of how much dedication American Guardsman and Reservists sacrifice to support their country. I will be doing several more videos like this one once better equipment gets to us here.

The Serenade: Does the song hold any other significance for you? Are you big BTE fans?
Heath: I've listened to BTE quite a bit before, but this song caught my attention and it just seemed to fit how I feel over here.

The Serenade: We can see some of the extreme Iraqi weather conditions in the video. So different from Kansas, right?
Heath: We've experienced everything in the time we've been here. We've seen bitter cold wind, raging downpours, violent dust/wind storms, and we are just now getting into the extreme heat of the summer here.

Dan: You can not imagine how hard it is to get an even tan in the middle of a dust storm!! Being serious for a minute it is pretty crazy, one minute it is sunny, 125 degrees and the next, Bam!!! Your stuck in the middle of a dust devil. Even though we traveled a few thousand miles away we still can't away from the damn tornadoes!!
How to Survive an Iraqi Dust Storm
(Photo: www.the-heath.com)

The Serenade: Those are incredible images of the former regimes’ buildings. What do you find most striking about them? See anything really out of place or weird?
Heath: The buildings, although beautiful, are not built to any modern standards. Marble everything, but the supporting structures crumble with age. What strikes me as odd? You are a dictator, with millions of people in your control and power. They live in a complete poverty-stricken life, while you live in marble floored, lake front palaces with gold everywhere. Seems like Saddam had the wrong agenda, and really didn't care about his people. Almost sickening at times when you see the way the civilians here live.

 


A Short Video Clip - See the Full Video Here
(8mb Windows Media File)

The Serenade: The Iraqi kids in the video seem friendly. Do you get to interact with them much? What seems to intrigue them most about Americans?
Heath: As we spend quite a bit of time on the towers each day, we do get quite a bit of time to interact with the children. Seeing how they live really makes you appreciate what we have in America. The kids are great, and are very entertaining.

Dan: While these kids may not have all of the comforts that American children have, we try and do our part and give things to them such as school supplies, clothes, shoes, food, and candy. It's great just to have the chance to make a lasting impression on these kids, even if its not that much. Anything to show them that America cares and is here to help.

The Serenade: It seems like you also find time for some down time. How do you amuse yourselves when you’re not on duty? What creature comforts you have do you value the most?
Dan & Heath: We spend a lot of time on the indoor Slip-N'-Slide, tanning, working out, and reading just about every book we can find. It's not just a job, it's a vacation!

The Serenade: Roughly how long do you expect to remain overseas?
Dan & Heath: We can't say due to operational security conditions, however, I can assure you this: There will be more videos from the-heath.com while we are here. All we can say is we promise we will continue to rock-out until we get back.


The A-Team in Iraq
(Photo: www.the-heath.com)

The Serenade: I’m sure you’re all missing home. What are you missing the most?
Heath: Beer and an air-conditioned office.

The Serenade: Is there anything you desperately want that our readers might be able to send you and your fellow soldiers? Is there an address we can they send items to?
Dan & Heath: We are always up for mail or anything one would feel compelled to send us. It's great to hear things from back home. You can send mail to us at:

Spc. Dan Hoelter or Spc. Heath Lawson
B-2/130th Field Artillery
WPWFT0
Camp Victory
APO AE 09342-1400

Or you can email us at :

Heath and Dan

Thanks for taking the time to talk to the Serenade. God bless and stay safe guys.

The Serenade encourages our readers to let Heath and Dan know they're thinking of them through emails (addresses above) or through care packages. For a list of suggested care package items for members of the armed forces services serving in Iraq, go here.