A quick search would turn up a few false answers. Much has been made of combat troops listening to heavy metal or hardcore rap to get motivated for battle. To say that this defines the war would be untrue. Former Marine Sergeant Jason Sagebiel was a sniper during a very violent and deadly part of the war and while he and his guys listened to some amped up music, they would often listen to equally soothing music, when trying to decompress from combat, even listening to Yanni, though begrudgingly. Sagebiel even learned to play the Oud, an Arabian guitar-like instrument, and has released an album of Oud music. 4th25 (read: fourth quarter) is a rap group comprised of actual soldiers that spent their pay on recording equipment and released an album, while deployed.

Therein lays the real truth about the music of this war. If Vietnam was the first war of rock music, then Afghanistan and Iraq are the first wars of digital music. I was fortunate enough to have an office while I was in Iraq and a computer on which to do my work. I immediately ordered a large hard drive and proceeded to copy every CD I could get my hands on. With mp3 players increasing in memory and decreasing in size, soldiers are now able to take with them their entire music collection, photos, and even videos of their loved ones on a device that fits neatly in their pockets.

Still, that doesn’t answer the “soundtrack” question. Ultimately, I think that the soundtrack to this war is the local music. It was everywhere from the on post establishments that employed local nationals to the local economy. The local music is simultaneously beautiful and terrifying, just like the countries besieged by the war. The calls of the muezzin are hauntingly beautiful, but as they lofted across the landscape with holy intention, it can seem sinister and alien to the warriors that walk its streets missing the sounds of home, some of which they have safely tucked away into their pockets.