My friend works as a war correspondent for one of the UK broadsheets. One night this summer we were sitting in the pub and I was moaning about how I had to work at Glastonbury this year, trotting out lazy clichés about it being like the Somme. "Yeah" he said, "it reminds me of when I was in Afghanistan and was out with a troop of kids. We were ambushed on two sides by the Taliban and I had to lie of the floor while bullets flew past my head and one of the soldiers got hit. Eventually they called in an air-strike and we escaped through the desert." Obviously I felt like a tool. You always hear stories about how American soldiers listen to death metal when they’re killing people. That doesn’t happen with English troops apparently, but they’re still all young and obviously like music. We got in touch with some of them and asked for their top ten songs of their most recent tours of duty (it did come with some weird Ministry of Defence sanctioned article, but that was crap).
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Unit: 521 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Squadron based in Edinburgh
Home Town: Kingspark, Glasgow
Age: 26
Job: Radio Operator for EOD Squadron
Fun Fact: Jamie auditioned for the X Factor in 2005, but didn’t get very far. Shane Ward aint got shit on him.Top Ten hits of the tour:
1. Stop and Stare – One Republic
2. Arctic Monkeys – Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor
3. Meatloaf – Bat out of Hell
4. Guns & Roses – November Rain
5. Guns & Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
6. Oasis – Some Might Say
7. Greenday – Basket Case
8. Bon Jovi - Living on a Prayer
9. Bon Jovi - Keep the Faith
10. Commitments – Mustang SallyPRIVATE AARON RACKHAM - PARA
Unit: B Company 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment, based in Colchester
Home town: Watford
Age: 19
Job: Rifleman, took part in Operation OQAB TSUKA, or ‚ÄòEagles Summit’ which was the safe delivery of a turbine to the Kajaki Hydro-electric power station.Top Ten hits of the tour:
1. Ray J - Anytime
2. Oasis – Love Like a Bomb
3. Arctic Monkeys – Fluorescent Adolescent
4. Temptations – Stand by me
5. Puddle of Mud – Blurry
6. Lost Prophets – Last Summer
7. Kasabian – Club Foot
8. AC DC – Back in Black
9. AC DC – Thunderstruck
10. Oasis - SlideawayCRAFSTMAN DAWN GIBSON - REME
Unit: 7 Armoured Company, 2nd Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, based in Fallingbostel, Germany
Home Town: Glasgow
Age: 20
Job: Vehicle Mechanic. Fix, repair and maintain armoured vehicles in Camp Bastion, Helmand Province.
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1. Avril Lavigne - Hot
2. Pink – Who Knew
3. Whitney Housten – I Wanna Dance with Somebody
4. Oasis – Champagne Supernova
5. Coldplay – Clocks
6. Meatloaf – Bat Out of Hell
7. Berlin – Take My Breath Away
8. Oasis – Songbird
9. Leona Lewis – Take a Bow
10. Gym Class Heroes ‚Äì Scandalous ScholasticsCRAFTSMAN BROGAN O’BRIEN - REME
Unit: 7 Armoured Company, 2nd Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, based in Fallingbostel, Germany
Home Town: Highgate, Birmingham
Age: 21
Job: Vehicle Mechanic. Fix, repair and maintain armoured vehicles in Camp Bastion, Helmand Province.
Fun fact: Brogan and Dawn share a tent together in Camp BastionTop Ten hits of the tour:
1. Pink – Who Knew
2. Whitney Housten – My All
3. Meatloaf – Bat Out of Hell
4. 2 Pac – Dear Mama
5. Kelly Clarkson – Because of You
6. Pink – So what
7. Leona Lewis – Footprints in the Sand
8. H20 ‚Äì What’s it Gonna Be
9. Mariah Carey – Butterfly
10. Gym Class Heroes - Scandalous ScholasticsALEX MILLER