Army rangers release Memorial Day song from Afghanistan

Sunday, May 29, 2016

1st Lt. Andrew Yacovone and 1st Lt. Justin Wright, Army rangers currently deployed in Afghanistan, are a contemporary country pop band called Interstate 10.
Courtesy of 1st Lt. Andrew Yacovone and 1st Lt. Justin Wright-ABCNews

First Lt. Andrew Yacovone and First Lt. Justin Wright, two Army rangers deployed in Afghanistan, have released a song for Memorial Day, dedicated to military families of fallen servicemen.

The pair, collectively known as Interstate 10, met on their first day of infantry basic training for officers in 2014.

"I called out to the crowd and asked if anyone played guitar," Andrew said. "Lo and behold, Justin was standing right next to me and he was like, 'Heck yeah, I play guitar!'"

1st Lt. Andrew Yacovone and 1st Lt. Justin Wright, Army rangers currently deployed in Afghanistan and members of the band Interstate 10, perform during a music video shoot.
Courtesy of 1st Lt. Andrew Yacovone and 1st Lt. Justin Wright

Since that day, Interstate 10 has released a YouTube video of their song "Hometown Hero" and a full-length EP.

Their latest collaboration is titled "I'm Gonna Miss You."

Andrew tells ABC News he began writing "I'm Gonna Miss You" back in 2013 before the two met, "but after their unit lost soldiers during their first deployment, they say the song took on a whole new meaning."

Though the two were stationed 40 miles away at different bases during their second deployment, they tell ABC News they used Skype and other ways to stay connected in order to finish the song.

And now it's available for all to hear.

The "I'm Gonna Miss You" music video uploaded this past week to YouTube has scenes shot from their deployment in Afghanistan.

"If you could see what was behind the camera, it was interesting," Andrew tells ABC News. "Taped things over here, headlamps sitting around bunkers to light the scene using our flashlights. Just to make it all right."

But they say they never lack inspiration to keep producing music.

"Most of our music is written on deployment," Justin said. "You think of the restaurant where you want to eat at, and you think of where you'll take a girlfriend on a date -- what beaches you will go to, which mountain you are going to climb. You think of all these clear pictures of a dream life that most people don't live, but you know you're going to because you can do anything after you've been to Afghanistan for nine months."