Soldiers' Songs

"Don't Try and Save Me" — recorded by Freeman under the name Merq — is one of fourteen songs on To the Fallen Records Presents: Rock Vol. 1, a compilation of music made by soldiers, many on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's one of three collections — the others focus on hip-hop and country — that have been released over the last year by To the Fallen, a label created to release music by former and current military members. "It's important for the American public to hear what the guys on the ground are going through," says Army Capt. Sean Gilfillan, 29, who launched the label after serving in Iraq in 2003 and 2004. "These guys have something much more important to say than most people in the music industry."