I think that I prefer “drunken” (from the original song) to “fighting”, although I have done neither in Iraq. The Marines sang the song below at my going away. It is based on an old Johnny Cash song. I am flattered that they took the time. The Marines don’t make fun of people they don’t like.
The Ballad of John Matel
John Matel…
John Matel…
[CHORUS:]
Call him fighting John Matel
He won’t answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin’ Ambassador
Nor the Diplomat who went to war
Gather round me people there’s a story I would tell
About a brave old civil servant you should remember well
From the land of beer and bratwurst
In old Wisconsin land
Who joined the Department of State to serve his Uncle Sam
Now John served in all the world’s hemispheres
The North, South, East, and West
It was his hardship tour in Rio
That he enjoyed the best
[CHORUS:]
Call him fighting John Matel
He won’t answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin’ Ambassador
Nor the Diplomat who went to war
John Matel volunteered to serve in harm’s way,
In the country of Iraq
While his peers looked at him with a sense of awe,
As they chose to remain back
He served with the Marines of worldwide acclaim
In the Western Al Anbar Hinterland
Rubbing shoulders with Mayors and Sheikhs
In the dust, the dirt, and sand
[CHORUS:]
Call him fighting John Matel
He won’t answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin’ Ambassador
Nor the Diplomat who went to war
He traversed the battlefield in the air and on the road
Airborne in the Osprey, on road by MRAP
He was fine with the air-land insert,
It was the road movements he thought were crap
[CHORUS:]
Call him fighting John Matel
He won’t answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin’ Ambassador
Nor the Diplomat who went to war
[CHORUS:]
Call him jumping John Matel
He won’t answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin’ Ambassador
Nor the Diplomat who went to war
Yeah, call him fighting John Matel
And his legacy will go far
With the Sheikhs, the Mayors, and common man
In the whole of Western Anbar
John Matel…
John Matel…
