Songs about war are timeless and a part of American culture. In this talk, James Nash reflects on how he came to write Russell County Gorge about US Marine Corps 1st Lt. Ryan McGlothlin, killed in Iraq in 2005. Over the course of two years traveling and performing the song, James found Ryan’s story led to emotional and often unexpected connections with listeners, including other Marines. James is a singer songwriter and lead guitarist for The Waybacks and The Nashvillains, and he frequently joins Bob Weir, Michelle Shocked and other musicians for live shows. James performs Russell County Gorge with the TEDxAlcatraz house band: Alisa Rose on violin, and Peter Gregson playing cello. We thank Ryan McGlothlin's family for photographs and for their support with this project. US forces photographs (Iraq