Blackhorse Troopers

On May 19th, 2025, I attended a top-secret meeting. 

Okay, it wasn’t really top secret. But it was a meeting... of the minds. 

A team of talented songwriters came all the way from Nashville to sit down with me and learn about my experiences in Vietnam. 

Then, these magnificent melody makers took my story and set it to music. 

I’m tickled to introduce you to “Blackhorse Troopers,” written and produced by an extraordinary group of songwriters and musicians. 

The song was written by Don Goodman and Steve Dean, co-founders of Freedom Sings USA, a Tennessee-based nonprofit that turns veterans' stories into songs. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 

BLACKHORSE TROOPERS

I was born in Illinois

In the winter of forty-eight 

Where the two great rivers come together 

I joined the Army with my two amigos 

And I’ll soldier on with them forever

My father served with Patton at the Battle of the Bulge 

And I saw his son in our camp in Vietnam 

In my mind, his dad and mine were both livin’ legends 

Who inspired me to be the man I am

 

A Blackhorse Trooper of the Eleventh Cav 

We rode to the sound of the guns

Breakin’ jungle with everything we had 

Together then, together again 

Blackhorse Troopers of the Eleventh Cav 

 

I’ll never forget the crackle of AK-47’s 

Fire from hell that sent my brothers to heaven

I’ll always remember how much it cost 

And the faces of the troopers that we lost

 

Blackhorse Troopers of the Eleventh Cav 

We rode to the sound of the guns

Breakin’ jungle with everything we had 

Together then, together again 

Blackhorse Troopers of the Eleventh Cav 

 

When my tour was over 

I was torn between goin’ home and leaving my brothers 

Fightin’ for their lives 

Seventeen years I worried about them 

Till I went to our reunion in ninety-five 

 

Blackhorse Troopers of the Eleventh Cav 

We rode to the sound of the guns

Breakin’ jungle with everything we had 

Together then, together again 

Blackhorse Troopers of the Eleventh Cav 

 

Together then, together again 

Blackhorse Troopers of the Eleventh Cav 

Wasn’t that phenomenal? 

One more word of thanks to Martin Parsons, for introducing me to these talented songwriters. 

This is a song my family and I will cherish forever. 

Be well. Stay well. 

Thanks for readin’.

Francis Pass

P.S. – To learn more about Freedom Sings USA, or to find out how they can write a song for your American hero, find ‘em online at FreedomSingsUSA.org.