An Island entertainer-composer’s song, recorded by U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawai’i) to salute the Marines, is now available as a free MP3 download.
“Whisper ‘Semper Fi,’The Ballad of the Leatherneck” —about an aging U.S. Marine and a veteran of two wars, who wants to be buried at Arlington with an “EGA” upon his chest and a desire to be remembered as “one of the best” — is a composition by Honolulu singer-entertainer Keith Haugen, an award-winning songwriter. (EGA stand for Eagle, Globe, Anchor, the Marines emblem).
“We dedicate this recording to the United States Marines, and we say thanks to every man and woman who serves or has ever served our great nation in all of the uniformed military services – Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard – and the Merchant Marine,” said Haugen.
To download, go to www.hawaiiansong.com.
Haugen’s composition, recorded by Sen. Inouye, a Congressional Medal of Honor winner, says in part: “I don’t want no flowers; an American flag will do. My life was lived and given for the red and white and blue.”
“We'd love to see millions of American patriots download this gift,” said Haugen.
“We join Senator Inouye, in our heartfelt thanks to the Marines for more than two centuries of service to our great nation, and to all of our men and women in uniform.”
The song is not commercially available, said Haugen, though hard copies will be provided to current and former Commanders-in-Chief, Secretaries of the Navy, Army, Air Force, Homeland Security, Commandants of the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard, 97 surviving Congressional Medal of Honor winners, and involved in the project.
Other patriotic
Other bonus tracks are also available at Haugen’s website.