 |
Opry Comes To Iraq: Adkins Plays For Troops
(November 8, 2010) | 
|
|
|
BASRA, Iraq – A four-time Grammy Award nominee visited
southern Iraq recently to play for what could arguably be
his toughest crowd yet.
Trace Adkins, a country musician with nine albums that
reached the top 10 on U.S. music charts, put on a show for
United States Division-South troops in Basra Oct. 31, 2010. |
In addition to top 10 hits such as “Chrome” and “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,”
Adkins played some new music off his most recent album, “Cowboy's Back
in Town.”
Spc. Tony Cates, an engineer assigned to the 1st Inf. Div. headquarters
from Cherokee, Iowa, said he appreciated Adkins making the trip to
Basra.
“It was a fun concert,” Cates said. “I liked how he got up there, told a
couple of jokes, and said, ‘Let's roll.'”
“Trace Adkins is a real patriot. He really gives his support to
soldiers.”
Adkins has played on two USO tours and performed for almost 8,000 troops
in the Middle East. He makes regular visits to Walter Reed Medical
Center and the National Naval Medical Center. In April 2009, he
performed with the West Point Glee Club to raise awareness of the
Wounded Warrior Project. |
|
Trace Adkins poses for a photo with soldiers and civilians deployed to Basra as part of a meet-and-greet session after his show in Basra Oct. 31, 2010. |
|
Before the show, 17 soldiers with Division Headquarters and
Headquarters Battalion, 1st Infantry Division were
re-enlisted by the USD-S commanding general, Maj. Gen.
Vincent Brooks.
Spc. Justin Labaj, one of the re-enlistees and the unit
armorer for Operations Company, DHHB from Utica, Mich., said
re-enlisting is always special, but it was made more special
with all the concert-goers on-hand.
“It was special not just the [commanding general] but having
the concert at the same time right afterward, so it was like
we were special to where we got to sit up front and we got
to get pictures with Trace Adkins individually,” said Labaj,
who re-enlisted for six years and current station
stabilization at Fort Riley, Kan., the Big Red One's home
station. “It was a lot more special.”
Adkins is scheduled to play a welcome home concert for
soldiers of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry
Division at Fort Benning, Ga., later this month. The 3rd
HBCT is returning from a 12-month deployment to southern
Iraq, during which time they fell under the operational
control of United States Division-South and the 1st Infantry
Division. | |
Article and photo by Army SSgt. Nathaniel Smith
130th Public Affairs Detachment
Copyright 2010
Provided
through DVIDS
Comment on this article |
|
