In March of 2003 I received poem that was making the rounds through e-mail and on various discussion boards.  At the time, I believed the content was written by an anonymous Naval Chaplain.  It turns out it was written by Autumn Parker, the wife of a Green Beret currently serving in Iraq.  I got goose-bumps as I read it and knew I had to write a song based on the poem he had written.  The results are "I Got Your Back".  While different than the original poem,  the sentiment and storyline of the song are basically unchanged.

I Got Your Back

Copyright 2003 Damon Henrichs/Autumn Parker

I’m a small and precious child

My dad’s been sent to fight

The only time I see his face

Is when I dream at night

He’s been gone so many days

And I miss him more ways than I can track

I may be sad, but I’m so proud

My daddy’s got your back

I’m a strong and loving wife

With a husband soon to go

And there are times I’m terrified

In ways most never know

I bite my lip and force a smile

Hold him for a while before he packs

I may be scares, but I’m so proud

My husbands got your back

        So sleep safe at night

        And by the glory of dawn’s early light

        Salute those stars and stripes

        Because that’s why we fight. . . .

I’m a US soldier

Serving proud and standing tall

I defend our way of life by answering this call

If our freedoms on the line

I protect it every time it’s attacked

So send me a prayer that I’ll come home

It’s me who’s got your back

Send me a prayer that I’ll come back

Till then I got your back

I got your back