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"Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story" is a song by hip-hop duo Jedi Mind Tricks, consisting of rapper Vinnie Paz and producer
Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind Kevin Baldwin, better known by his stage name Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind or simply Stoupe, is an American hip hop producer, DJ, and member of the underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. Stoupe has worked with only a limited number of artis ...
, and features a guest verse from
R.A. the Rugged Man R.A. Thorburn, better known by his stage name R.A. the Rugged Man, is an American rapper and producer. He began his music career at age 12, building a reputation locally for his lyrical skills. Thorburn signed with major label Jive Records at a ...
. It is the fourth song on the group's 2006 album ''
Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell ''Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell'' is the fifth studio album by hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. It was released September 19, 2006 through Babygrande Records. The first single, " Heavy Metal Kings", featuring Ill Bill of La Coka Nostra, was r ...
''. While not released as a single, the song was recognized as one of the album's standout tracks.Naber, Joshua
Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell - Jedi Mind Tricks , Album Reviews
hiphopdx.com. 2006-09-27.Diston, Michael
MVRemix Reviews: Jedi Mind Tricks – Servants in Heaven, Kings In Hell
mvremix.com.


Background

The song's producer, Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind provides a dark, minimalist beat for the track, featuring drums, bass, and a light-wailing female vocal sample. Jedi Mind Tricks vocalist Vinnie Paz provides the opening verse, a first-person narrative telling the story of a young, scared, and confused United States soldier stationed in
Gia Định ''Gia'' is a 1998 American biographical drama television film about the life and times of one of the first supermodels, Gia Carangi. The film stars Angelina Jolie as Gia and Faye Dunaway as Wilhelmina Cooper, with Mercedes Ruehl and Elizabeth ...
, who, after seeing the carnage of battle and the corruption of the Army, begins to question the real motivation behind the Vietnam War. R.A. the Rugged Man's verse recounts the war experience of his father. R.A.'s father is the highly decorated war hero, Staff Sgt. John A. Thorburn, who was nearly killed in a crash near Cambodia after his helicopter's pilot was shot. R.A.'s father reaches a moment of clarity while in the hospital, but, after being sent home, he discovers that he was exposed to
Agent Orange Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the "tactical use" Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. It ...
which ultimately leaves two of his children severely mentally and physically handicapped.Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story: Lyrics
lyriki.com.


Reception

The key factor to the song's acclaim was the nearly two-minute verse by R.A. the Rugged Man. Album reviews referenced the verse as the highlight of the song. An
AllHipHop.com AllHipHop is a hip hop news website founded by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur in 1998. History The website was founded in 1998 by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur. In 1997, Watkins registered the allhiphop.com domain to promote the artists on ...
review called the song, "the most insightful track JMT has done in years". The review goes on to state that, "this record will be remembered most for R.A.'s robotic flow recounting his own father's story of war while absolutely murdering the beat." HipHopDX.com writer Joshua Naber, states that it is "possibly my favorite verse of the year", calling it an "epic tale of War". The October, 2006 issue of '' The Source'' magazine featured the verse as its "Hip-Hop Quotable" of the month, and listed "Uncommon Valor" on its "Fat Tape" list. While the performance of R.A. garnered considerable attention and acclaim, it was not the sole factor in the song's popularity. An online reviewer for HipHopLinguistics.com praises the performance of Vinnie Paz, stating that he, "does a great job personalizing the effects of war."Jedi Mind Tricks "Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell" Review
hiphoplinguistics.com. 2009-09-16. RapReviews.com reviewer Steve 'Flash' Juon described the song as, "creepy and hair-raising as hip-hop gets". Juon also praises the production work stating, "Stoupe ups the ante by sneaking in subtle sound effects that make you feel like you're right there in the jungle."Juon, Steve 'Flash'

rapreviews.com. 2006-10-03. MVRemix.com reviewer Michael Diston called the song a "stunning moment", while also commenting on the song's concept and fitting production, explaining, "the haunting beat does the subject matter justice – a fantastic concept and one of JMT's finest moments."


Samples

The opening of the song begins with an excerpt from Richard Nixon's resignation speechNixon's Resignation Speech
Duck and Cover "Duck and cover" is a method of personal protection against the effects of a nuclear explosion. Ducking and covering is useful in offering a degree of protection to personnel located outside the radius of the nuclear fireball but still within su ...
'', about a possible Cold War">nuclear attack Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear wa ...
. The vocals were also sampled from a song called "The River is Flowing" by Basque.


John A. Thorburn

Staff Sgt. John Andrew Thorburn (August 26, 1946, in St. Albans, Queens − January 7, 2010, in Port Jefferson, New York) was an American war veteran who for seven years served in the United States Army and the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. Thorburn received several medals for his service. In the Army he was with the
101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...
(The "Screaming Eagles"). He was later assigned with the
Green Berets The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army. The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal m ...
into the
10th Special Forces Group The 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (10th SFG (A), or 10th Group) is an active duty United States Army Special Forces (SF) Group. 10th Group is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions: unconventional warfare (UW), foreign in ...
. In June 1968, Thorburn transferred to the Air Force. On March 14, 1970, Thorburn was on a long-range reconnaissance patrol (LRRP) from the
Ban Me Thuot East Airfield Ban Me Thuot East Airfield (also known as Ban Me Thuot FSB, Camp Torres, FSB Aquarius, Hoa Binh Airfield, LZ Ban Me Thuot and Phung Duc Airfield) was a military and civilian airfield and army base located approximately 8 km southeast of Bu ...
in
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
aboard a
UH-1P The Bell UH-1 Iroquois military helicopter, first introduced in 1959, is the first production member of the prolific Huey family of helicopters, and was itself developed in over twenty variants, which are listed below. XH-40 and YH-40 The firs ...
"Papa" Huey helicopter as a member of the
20th Special Operations Squadron The 20th Special Operations Squadron is part of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. It operates Bell Boeing CV-22 Ospreys on special operations missions. It traces its history back to the activation of the 20th ...
(The "Green Hornets"). The helicopter was shot down near the Duc Lap Special Forces Camp by enemy ground fire which resulted in pilot USAF Capt Dana Allen Dilley's death and three wounded airmen, with Thorburn and the other gunner sustaining serious injuries.Capt. Dana Allen Dilley
Retrieved 2017-02-08. An Army helicopter from the 155th Assault Helicopter Company on the same operation retrieved the airmen and took them to Cam Ranh Air Base.Lindsey, Fred S
"Secret Green Beret Commandos in Cambodia"
Retrieved July 30, 2019.Information on U.S. Air Force helicopter UH-1F tail number 64-15491
flyarmy.org. Retrieved 2009-04-18. Thorburn was later discharged following injuries he received.
Staff Sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...
Thorburn was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross by
New York State Senator The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan compo ...
John J. Flanagan for his accomplishments in the Vietnam War. He also earned several awards and decorations from the United States Army and Air Force, including the Distinguished Flying Cross (twice), Purple Heart, and Air Medal (four times).


References


External links


In-depth interview with R.A. the Rugged Man about the song
{{R.A. the Rugged Man 2006 songs Songs of the Vietnam War Jedi Mind Tricks songs Songs about Vietnam Anti-war songs