By Brandi Dabbs
[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sJqEccwliQ]
Every day I scour the internet for tour dates, contests, articles and other MCR related information. It all gets a bit monotonous; then a little expert jumps out at you and you stop. You, again, realize what this band, their lyrics, and their meaning of their music, does to people.
“The Ghost of You” is nothing new to My Chemical Romance fans, but perhaps it takes on a new and fresh meaning to a soldier serving a tour in Iraq. In what seems to be a never-ending time of war, we (the non-soldier) take for granted our family and friends in every day life. We know, God willing, we will see them tomorrow. We know we will have a chance to say what we want, if we so choose.
I was chugging along today, searching for various news articles about My Chemical Romance, and a single blog entry caught my eye. I clicked the link to find a U.S. Soldiers’ blog site. The title refered to MCR and “The Ghost of You” video. I scrolled farther down to see the sentence, “This is a cool video. There is something about it, I really relate to.,” followed by the actual video itself. That was it, plain and simple. That was all the blog entry said. Of course, I could have drawn my own conclusions from the statement, but I had never actually heard a soldier’s take on the video or My Chemical Romance, for that matter. So I decided to post a comment on the man’s blog, a man I have come to know as C.J., asking him if he cared to elaborate on how he related to the video. I posted my email address on the off chance he would like to respond; and much to my surprise, he replied back with a detailed account of how he felt.
I could explain it, but why do that when you can read the soldier’s words for yourself. And this was his reply:
Brandi,
When I was in Iraq there were many times that I didn’t think I was coming home. Like the Soldiers in the video, you never know if that day will be your last. Thoughts of my wife and kids frequently crossed my mind.
“And all the things that you never ever told me
And all the smiles that you never, everEver get the feeling that you’re never all alone?”
There’s a saying that there is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole. Even though I was a Christian before going, war brought out the reality that I was never alone in my struggle. There are three specific instances in Iraq that I said my goodbyes to my family and just knew I was about to die. This verse highlights the thoughts going through my mind. Did I tell her I love her enough? Did I tell her how beautiful she is? Did I spend enough time with my kids? Why did I do all those things to upset them?
“At the end of the world or at the last thing i see
You are never coming home
never coming homeCould I?
Should I?”
I’m sure these are the feeling my wife had for me as she watched the news each night, hoping not to see my name scrolled across the screen. But, I made it home and I have so much to live for. I’m still in the military and would still sacrifice all that I have in the name of freedom. I think My Chemical Romance did a great job of showing a Soldier’s sacrifice in a respectful way. But more than that, it shows the sacrifice of the Soldier’s family!!
CJ
On behalf of myself and mychemicalfreak.com, I would like to thank C.J., each and every soldier, and their families, for the sacrifice they make daily. I am honored to have such wonderful people representing and protecting our country. I would also like to thank C.J. for taking the time to tell us what “The Ghost of You” meant to him and how he related to it as a soldier. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and my readers.
Article by Brandi Dabbs of mychemicalfreak.com
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