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ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England, Dec. 12, 2014 – “Don't be
sad it's over. Be glad it happened,” the chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff told the performers of the USO holiday tour that
ended here Dec. 10, 2014.
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey and his
wife, Deanie, thanked country singer Kellie Pickler and her
songwriter husband Kyle Jacobs, comedian Rob Riggle, actresses
Meghan Markleand and Dianna Agron, retired Chicago Bears linebacker
Brian Urlrcher and Washington Nationals pitcher Doug Fister for
their efforts to reach out to service members and their families
during the trip. USO President J.D. Crouch and his wife, Kristin,
also joined the traveling troupe.
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Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, right, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, speaks during the USO's holiday show at Royal Air Force
Mildenhall, England, Dec. 10, 2014. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior
Airman Erin O'Shea)
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Tour Visited Five Countries
The trip included five
countries -- Spain, Italy, Turkey, Afghanistan and England
-- to entertain thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen,
Marines and their families. Four shows took place in
hangars, and one took place in a gym. And 10,000 cupcakes
sweetened the deal.
The performers first met each
other at the Joint Base Andrews passenger terminal in
Maryland on Dec. 5. “Embrace this experience,” Deanie
Dempsey told them. “You will be so proud of our service
members and their families.”
This was the fourth USO
Holiday Tour the Dempseys have led, and both said it's their
favorite trip of the year.
Spain and Italy
The
performers loaded onto the plane and flew to Rota, Spain,
for the first stop on the tour. They toured the USS Donald
K. Ross, an Aegis-equipped destroyer homeported there. They
then performed before about 2,000 American service members
and their families in a hangar on the base. Dianna Agron,
who stars in the Fox series “Glee,” met many “Gleeks” after
the performance, signing autographs and posing with them for
selfies.
The next day, the troupe flew to Vicenza,
Italy, to soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and U.S.
Army Africa. The show, held in the ultramodern gym of the
newly constructed post, also featured thousands of
Georgetown Cupcakes the stars passed out to the audience.
During the show, Jacobs sang “I Drive Your Truck,” a
song he produced for country singer Lee Brice. The song is a
powerful tribute to Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared Monti, who
received the Medal of Honor posthumously for actions in
Afghanistan. The song grew out of an interview with Monti's
father, Paul, who, when asked how he coped with his son's
death, said he drove his truck.
Turkey and
Afghanistan
The next day, the troupe flew to Incirlik,
Turkey, where they met with airmen and their families who
man posts just a few hundred miles from the civil war in
Syria. The USO performers toured the base and met with
hundreds of airmen. “It's good they see what American
service members are doing,” Crouch said. “There are many
Americans who know nothing of this area, and these
performers can go back home and tell them about it.”
The next day was an early one for the group, as they loaded
for a flight to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. The show
there was in a hangar along the Bagram flightline, and as it
was going on, jets and C-130s taxied outside.
After
the show, the performers met with service members and then
had to board the aircraft for the flight to England. The
long day finally came to an end in Cambridge, where the
performers prevailed upon Dempsey to sing “The Wild Rover.”
On to England
The next day was the tour's last
show here. Airmen showed off the KC-135 tankers, F-15E
Strike Eagles and CV-22 Ospreys stationed at the base and
then went into the hangar. Markle showed off her signature
five-inch heels, Urlacher showed why he didn't take up
singing with a rendition of “Let It Go,” and Pickler and her
band got the propulsion going with her signature song, “Red
High Heels.”
That night, the Dempseys hosted a thank
you gathering for the USO performers at a Cambridge pub, The
Anchor. But the performers thanked the Dempseys and the USO
for the opportunity.
Riggle, who retired from the
Marine Corps Reserve last year, said that in his profession,
“it's easy to be cynical, and that people expect it.” He was
grateful for the tour, he added, because it “allowed me to
be a patriot again.”
This was Pickler's eighth USO
tour. “If you come calling, I'll be back,” she told the
general. “I love this so much.”
By Jim Garamone
DOD
News / Defense Media Activity
Copyright 2014
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