Charm of the Army

By Angie Dickinson, Submitted by Jayme Allen and Vivian Maheu

Back in 2005, after a very fun and active Ft. Bliss OWC function, we finished in a very spirited friendship fashion, and it just seemed that the event was missing a song to wrap up the fun night.  It occurred to two of us that we needed an “Army Wife” Song.  We researched the Internet and asked around to see whether there was an old Army Wife song that may have been sung in the past—that way we could just resurrect it and bring it back to life.  But there was not one to be found. We even searched at the Army War College in Pennsylvania, in the Archives of the Army Museum.  There were poems and creeds but no song.

Pam Green, Vivian Maheu and Angie Dickinson collaborated at Angie’s dining room table, brainstorming ideas for a song about the Army Wife.  We drank coffee, talked, laughed, and wrote down all the wonderful traits of an Army wife—this list was long, as you can imagine!  We even put a little of the chorus together at this first (and really only) writing session.  It was easy, and the descriptive words poured out from all of us.  At the end of this writing session, we had the words ready to build the song.

We hand delivered the words to Renée Willis, a talented songwriter and sister of Angie.  Within no time at all Renée had turned our descriptive words into a fun, peppy and endearing song (in the C Key) about Army Wives.  The title “Charm of the Army” is one of the descriptive phrases that we had originally brainstormed.  And the chorus stayed pretty true to the day we first collaborated at the dining room table.  Upon completion of the song, Renée sent the song off to Nashville for the copyright so that it would be safe to sing and share.

Angie and her family are stationed in South Korea, where the 8^th Army Band has written the musical score for the song so that it can be sung and played as a march as well.  It has been sung as a tribute to wives upon PCSing, in farewell ceremonies, after a fun Army wife skit around a piano, and even at a recent Change of Command.  It is our hope that this song will be shared and played for all the great Army Wives past and present whose lives have been intertwined in our great sisterhood.  And don’t worry; we have not forgotten the “Army Spouse”—the man married to a soldier—as that song is in the works as well, but this one…“Charm of the Army”… is for the girls!

Listen to the song here

The Charm of the Army

(A tribute to the Army Wife)

Written by:  Pam Green, Angie Dickinson, Vivian Maheu & Renee Willis – Original Material 2007

She’s the Charm of the Army.

She is strong, she is true,

To her soldier, to her country, to the red, white and blue.

She is spirit, she is soul.  She is young, she is old.

She’s a sister and a friend for life.

She’s the one and only Army Wife!

 

She’s a ribbon tied up yellow.  She’s a blessing.  She’s a prayer.

She’s a neighbor and a teacher and a willing volunteer.

She is hope, she is faith.  She’s an open garden gate.

You’ll see it when you look into her eyes.

She’s the one and only Army Wife!

 

Chorus:  House to Home

Coast to Coast

Hand to Heart

Post to Post.

Through thick and thin, her legacy her life.

She’s the one and only Army Wife!

 

She’s a smile and a hug.  She’s a tear but she’s tough.

She is hospitality with a heart that’s full of love.

She’s a goodbye, she’s a howdy.

She is shy, she is rowdy.

Her heart is big and sure to sacrifice. 

She’s the one and only Army Wife!

Back to Chorus (repeat last line 3 times and add “Hoo-ah!”)

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