A Letter From Iraq

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You might know the song "A Letter From Iraq" from The Piper of Flipsyde. His brother in law did some of the vocals on the track. It's a letter that he sent from Iraq when he was on a mission there. Well, Piper posted on his myspace that the good man committed suicide last month.

http://www.myspace.com/piperkingz -> Myspace with blog + this particular song

This is of course a very situation, I don't necessarily want to turn this into an R.I.P. topic. It is a good occasion to check out some of Pipe's & Flipsyde's songs. The lyrics are well thought of and some of them really make you think, which is something rare in this time. This was absolutely one of those songs.

On October 1, 2008, my brother-in-law Sgt. Elijah Warren was found dead in his bedroom, the result of an apparent suicide. Elijah was an outstanding soldier whose performance in the 5th Special Forces Group won him the respect and admiration of his fellow soldiers as well as many certificates and commendations from the United States Army.

Honorably discharged from the army January 27th, 2008, Elijah continued his studies in Political Science at the University of California at Berkeley. Fluent in Arabic, and learning Farsi, his aim was to become a Foreign Service Officer in the State Department. The man he had become barely resembled the high school drop out he once was. His work with disadvantaged high school students at Berkeley Technology Academy through the A.R.M.E.D program (ALWAYS READY, MENTALLY EQUIPPED AND DISCIPLINED), was a source of inspiration for both Elijah as well as the young men he counseled.

Though his future was bright, the darkness of his past eventually proved to be unbearable. Unfortunately Elijah is not alone. A five-month CBS News investigation discovered data that shows a startling rate of suicide among United States War Veterans, what some would call a hidden epidemic.

In 2005 alone, 6,256 veterans committed suicide. That adds up to 120 per week for the entire year. Veterans aged 20 through 24, those who had served in the war on terror, had the highest suicide rate among all veterans. We had just celebrated Elijah's 26th birthday on August 1st, 2008. Two months later he was gone.

In my jukebox there's a song called 'Letter from Iraq'. Elijah and me recorded it after he got back from one of his tours in Iraq. He's basically reading emails he sent me from over there and I'm rapping my response. Hope yall feel it like me.

Pipe

R.I.P.

[1234]

R.I.P.

[mr spade]

rip

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He put up a new song today on the same myspace. Check it out.


New Song

Ay yall, check this new song out called CONVERSATION. It's basically me talkin to a youngsta from the hood. I used to be a counselor in juvenile hall and now we have a programs at continuation schools in Berkeley and Oakland. The song started as a joke, me just messin around freestylin, then it took on a life of its own. Every time I listen to it I think about all my little patnas that are trapped in the game, dying for little or nothin. One love to Kenny Rankins, got shot by 'my other little homie' over 5 dollars in a dice game. My other little homie got sentenced to 36 years. His life might as well be over too. One love to Johnny Byrd, just got killed last summer, that was my dude. One love to Gary King Jr., killed by the police. One love to all my little homies, this song is for yall. It's the first of a series, listen up; THIS IS NOT A GAME.

Pipe

[DPGC23]

NEVER KNEW IT WAS A BIG # FOR SUICIDES PER WEEK IF THAT # IS ACCURATE

RIP THO

DPGC23