FORWARD OPERATING BASE ORGUN-E, Afghanistan — When the thunder of the power generators eases to a rumble, Spc. Brandon Begley heads for an echoing hangar on this U.S. outpost near the Pakistan border and sets up his electric organ.

Begley, a 22-year-old mechanic with the U.S. Army's 27th Engineer Battalion, has composed a three-movement sonata as a tribute to fallen comrades.

"The Sonata of War and Peace" honors Pfc. Kevin Edgin and Cpl. Aaron Griner, both killed in battle in 2006, and "all soldiers who have fallen in the name of freedom," he says.

Edgin, 31, died on July 6 when his convoy came under small-arms fire. Griner, 24, died on June 28 when his vehicle struck a mine, according to Pentagon announcements.

"It was very sad and very painful to, you know, see that soldiers had given their lives in defense of their country," Begley said in a choked voice.

Although Begley doesn't leave the base, he has seen the results of fighting. "War is not a pretty sight," he says.

Begley, from Hamilton, Ohio, took four months to write the sonata, between his shifts repairing armored vehicles and hulking construction equipment.

Orgun-E is 7,500 feet up in the mountains, just a few miles from the border zone with Pakistan where clashes between Taliban insurgents and coalition forces are common.

Begley, who began studying piano at age 6, says the hangar has the best acoustics. He also plays the borrowed organ in the base chapel.

Begley said the deaths of fellow soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division shook him deeply during his year in Afghanistan and that's reflected in the music.

It's fair to describe the composition as "dark," he says. That reflects the conflicting nature of its inspirations — hopes for peace versus tackling threats to peace such as terrorism.

So far, Begley has only performed his sonata for a few of his colleagues, preferring to rehearse the melancholy chords in the empty hanger.

He describes his music as "a combination of Mozart and Beethoven" and hopes one day to perform in public with a live orchestra. He also has composed music to celebrate the birth of his daughter Bella, and other family events.

"I want everyone to know my feelings about our soldiers and not only in the United States but every army," he says. "I hope my music will touch a lot of hearts."

Begley, who joined the military a month after the 9/11 attacks, plans to make the Army a career. His goal is to join the Army band one day.