Face of Defense: Deployed Soldier Produces Beats in Off-Duty Time

By Army Spc. Jovi Prevot, 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait -- Even with increased workloads and long hours, deployments are a great way to work on one’s self. One soldier viewed his time on deployment as a chance to hone his craft.

Army Spc. Marqueze McGee, a motor transport operator deployed here with the Mississippi Army National Guard’s Alpha Company, 106th Brigade Support Battalion, is an amateur music producer with dreams of a career in the music industry.

“I’m a military guy -- an 88M [a motor transport operator] -- I also produce beats,” McGee said.

Inspiration, Perspiration

A native of Hollandale, Mississippi, McGee said he has been creating music since his early teens.

McGee’s interest in music started in middle school.

"I started taking it serious about two years ago,” he said.

For the Tougaloo College student, inspiration comes from various places.

“Sometimes a melody, I hear in my head and I play it out on the keyboard and go from there,” McGee said.

He has no formal musical training, but is still able to play melodies on his synthesizer.

“I actually don’t have any training. I play the piano by ear,” McGee said.

He works tirelessly on his off time to produce music.

“I try to make at least five beats a day,” McGee said.

Though an artist himself, he said he is focused on his customer.

“I try to think of the artist first,” McGee said. “I don’t even name my beats, I name them ‘Untitled,’ then a number. I don’t want to influence their song, just inspire it.”

Influences

But every artist has influences, and McGee is no different.

“[Some of my] influences [are] Big K.R.I.T., he’s a Mississippi guy,” he said. “Atlanta artists and producers, some New York like Nas and Jay-Z, those type of guys. I am a big ’90s fan.”

Though just starting out on his professional career, McGee said he has sold more than a hundred beats and has a dream list of artists to one day work with.

“My dream artists to work with are Starlito and Don Trip, they are based out of Tennessee,” he said. “They are mostly underground, but I feel if I reach their level, I’ll make a big accomplishment to myself and reach the goals I wanted.”

This deployment has given McGee not only the time work on his music, but also the money to invest in new equipment.

“I am actually waiting on a new keyboard to get here right now,” he said, noting that his current equipment is nearly worn out.

Once his deployment is complete, McGee will return to his home in Jackson, Mississippi, to complete his degree and continue to pursue his dream of a career in the music industry.

U.S., Argentina Agree to Strengthen Military Relationship

By Jim Garamone, DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON -- The United States and Argentina are in basic agreement about the security situation in South America, and the countries are looking to increase military-to-military ties, Defense Secretary James N. Mattis said today.

Mattis spoke with reporters traveling with him while en route from Buenos Aries, Argentina, to Santiago, Chile.

“We're in agreement, with an appreciation of the security situation in the region,” he said. “There were no disagreements on the situation – the worsening situation – in Venezuela.”

Argentine and U.S. officials want a stronger military-to-military relationship, and the two sides discussed ways to move this process along, Mattis said. The two sides agreed to increase education, and exchanges of information.

“It was mostly about consultation, collaboration and defining … what we need to focus on,” Mattis said. “Now we'll go back and we'll start all the various action meetings and get it all underway.”

Comments on Afghanistan

Earlier in the trip, the secretary discussed the situation in Ghazni, Afghanistan, where Taliban forces attacked Afghan security forces.

“It looks like many of the enemy have run, but some are in the town in homes, fighting from inside homes, with all the danger and the slowness that requires in order to get them out without hurting innocent people,” Mattis said.

He called the Taliban attack a “continuation of their willingness to put innocent people in harm's way; nothing new. It's the usual endangering civilians that's part and parcel of what they've done for the last 20 years.”

NATO forces provided close air support to the Afghan effort.

“Every battlefield is a humanitarian field,” he said. “It is … oftentimes a conventional war, too, but especially so on counterterrorism, when you have people who lack any kind of manhood [who] would fight among innocent people, and use them for protection.”

Face of Defense: Son Follows Father’s Path to the Air Force

By Air Force Staff Sgt. J.D. Strong II, 377th Air Base Wing

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Air Force Airman 1st Class David Mapel is following in the footsteps of his father, Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Mark Mapel, as a CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft special mission aviator.

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The senior Mapel is currently the chief enlisted manager for standards and evaluations with the 1st Special Operations Group at Hurlburt Field, Fla., while David is assigned here to the 58th Training Squadron as a CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft special mission aviator student.

Special Mission Aviators

Special mission aviators cover everything from preflight inspections of aircraft systems to the placement and delivery of the aircraft’s cargo.

They have multiple integral roles, monitoring all functions for the aircraft while providing weapon defense-including the former duties of flight engineers, loadmasters and gunners.

David said he went to college and found that it wasn’t for him. He decided to join the Air Force.

“Being with the family, I saw the job, the community, everyone in it and how close everyone was in the squadron, that’s why I wanted to go for special operations,” he said.

Mark said he wanted his son to attend college, get his bachelor’s degree, and then join the Air Force as a commissioned officer. Mark earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees while remaining enlisted.

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“One of the main reasons I joined [the Air Force] and chose to do special operations was to try to make a difference in the world. … Hopefully I was able to make a little bit of difference,” Mark said.

Family History of Military Service

Mark said his father was an Army infantryman and his older brother was an Army Ranger. He also had several uncles that served in the Army and Marine Corps.

“Their service definitely impacted my decision to join and carry forward the heritage, pride in our military and pride in our country,” he said.

Mark said he is happy that his son is following in his footsteps.

“I am very proud of him … It’s easy to say it’s the proudest thing [he’s] done to date,” Mark said of his son. “I’m seriously trying to consider if there is anything else [he’s] done that’s more worthy than serving [his] country as special operations in the United States Air Force, and, honestly, in my opinion, I don’t think there is.”