"Hadji Girl" is a song by Corporal Joshua Belile of the United States Marine Corps about a fictitious encounter with a family of Iraqi insurgents. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The Iraqi insurgency is composed of diverse mix of militias foreign fighters all Iraqi units or mixtures using violent measures against the US-led Coalition in Iraq A video of Belile performing the song was posted anonymously on YouTube.com in March 2006. YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload view and share Video clips YouTube was created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees It sparked controversy at a time when Marines were already facing public scrutiny over allegations of a civilian massacre at Haditha. The Haditha killings (also called the Haditha incident or the Haditha massacre) refers to the incident where 24 Iraqi men women and children were killed on November YouTube subsequently removed the video from the site, rejecting any further uploaded versions as violating the site's terms of use.
In the song, the Marine protagonist meets an Iraqi girl who convinces him to follow her to her house. After arriving, the Marine is confronted by the Iraqi girl's father and brother who are armed with AK-47 rifles. The AK-47 (contraction of Russian Автомат Калашникова образца 1947 года; Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1947 goda; "Kalashnikov's The Marine then uses the girl's younger sister as a human shield. Human shield is a military and political term describing the presence of civilians in or around combat targets to deter an enemy from attacking those targets The father and brother attack, killing the sister as the Marine laughs maniacally. The Marine then hides behind a TV, returns fire, and kills the father and brother. Cheers and clapping from the unseen audience can be heard in the background of the video. [1]
Belile later said the song was meant only as a joke based on lines from the film Team America: World Police, and apologized to those who were offended by its content. Team America World Police is a 2004 Comedy film, written by Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Pam Brady and directed [2] The performance, according to Belile, was at Al Asad airbase in Iraq, where Belile's helicopter gunship unit was posted until March 2006. Al Asad Airbase (once known as Qadisiyah Airbase is the largest US military Airbase in the largely Sunni western Iraq Province of Al Anbar Province An attack helicopter, also known as a Helicopter Gunship, is a Military helicopter armed for attacking targets on the ground In the video, Belile is wearing parts of a uniform, although not enough to characterize him as "in uniform" as no nameplate or national markings are visible. The US military, like many others, allows service members and military employees to pursue their own interests when not in uniform.
He was later exonerated of all wrongdoing.
Recording deal
Shortly after the controversy began, many conservative bloggers and radio hosts went to the defense of the marine, furthermore, talk show host Mike Church planned to record and release the song. Mike Church (born 1962 is a radio Talk show host and singer/songwriter often considered to be a Shock jock. While Belile was not to be part of the recording originally because of his commitment to the military, Church indicated that he would still receive royalties from sales. [3]
Further reports indicated that Cpl. Joshua Belile planned to record Hadji Girl with Hits Music Studios, and the conservative talk program The Mike Church Show planned to be the first to air it, said Jimm Mosher, co-owner of the North Carolina studio. These plans were later shelved. Mosher said Belile still plans to record the song. Belile has said he will leave the military when his five-year enlistment ends in October 2007. "We're wanting to record and produce it," Mosher said. "I think it tells a great story. "[4]
References
- ^ Music Video About Marine Sparks Anger , The Guardian. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Accessed June 14, 2006. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ Mazzolini, Chris. Humor attempt falls flat. The Jacksonville Daily News. Accessed June 14, 2006. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ "Talk Show Host to Record Marine's Song"
- ^ "Producer: Marine shelves Iraq song"
External links
- "Hadji Girl" video on Google Video
- "Hadji Girl" video with download
- MSNBC article about video
- Interview with the creator of the song
- "Hadji Girl" song lyrics
- Sheldon Rampton, "Hadji Girl", June 22, 2006.
- "Hadji Girl" song to be recorded, The Independent, July 7, 2006. The Independent is a British compact Newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly 's Independent News & Media.
- Free download of original "Hadji Girl" song (MP3 format)
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