A Special D-Day: The Baghdad Bad Boys Reunion at Beulah Hill

D-Day, June 6, was "The Longest Day," the day of the successful Allied invasion of Hitler's Fortress Europe and the beginning of the end for his supposed 1,000 year Reich. My father, Marvin E. Loyd, helped keep his flight of P-47 Thunderbolts flying that day in support of the infantry invasion force.



This was an appropriate day to honor and recognize another group of America's finest. The Baghdad Bad Boys, some bluegrass pickin' men and women in uniform recently returned from a 15 month tour in Iraq, had a reunion at Beulah Hill Baptist Church. The reunion was the brainstorm of my friend Greg Rawlings, and the day was a blessing to the soldiers and their families as well as scores of church members and other well-wishers from the surrounding community.



Even amidst the bluegrass, an underlying theme of patriotism and love of country was pervasive this day.

Our philosophy is that you can't make music OR listen to it on an empty stomach. Many cooks provided more than enough chow to feed an army. Literally. Barbecue pork was the meat of the day, with dozens of side dishes, salads, and scrumptious desserts supplied by many talented chefs.

The serving line stretched around the entire fellowship hall, even with scores of folks still outside. The crowd seemed to exceed that of the biggest homecomings we could remember.

People continued to enjoy the food all afternoon, but after a while the Baghdad Bad Boys, plus friends from Beulah Hill and the RDU Session Players, were ready for some serious and not-so-serious strummin' and pickin.'

There were guitars, fiddles, bass, dobro, banjos, harmonicas, and mandolins. And one keyboard. They bent the rules a little to let me play my keyboard. I was aware they could pull the plug on me anytime I didn't behave myself.

Here Greg carefully sets Frances Oldhams final "Care Package" on the ground. During the 15 month tour, Frances faithfully shipped boxes of apple turnovers and other treats to Greg, who shared with his comrades.

This photo was taken when the Bad Boys were still deployed in Iraq.These representatives of the group had flown in from as far as Washington state. They look a lot more carefree now that they're stateside, and we're thankful they're safely home.

On my keyboard I placed these historic American flags from different eras to honor service men and women of past and present.

The P-47 was in special honor of Daddy, the Orange Tails of the 358th Fighter Group, and all those who participated in D-Day exactly 65 years ago.

The emblem of the Bag Boys is a tangible reminder that America's armed forces have always been made of of "citizen soldiers," with families, and lives and interests beyond the military. And music is a language that brought a closeness and fed the spirits of those that played it and heard it in Iraq, when families were far away.

No wonder it was an emotional day for all of us present. The red, white, and blue flag is the perfect backdrop for the music makers. They're just ordinary Americans, but to us they're extraordinary!

Jessie holds my mascot monkey pal Chipper, who is dressed up in his G.I. fatigues for this occasion (the army jacket I wore when I was a boy to re-fight WW II through our woods and backyards).

Not surprisingly, Ashlyn came prepared to join in on the music.

And like most children, she can't resist the tantalizing lure of my keyboard.

What a great day it was. Some of the Bad Boys played from 1:00 well into the evening, not knowing when they would get an opportunity like this again.

If you Google Baghdad Bad Boys, you will find numerous clips with their music and interviews.