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WASHINGTON -- The devil may have
gone down to Georgia, but the Charlie Daniels Band went to the
Association of the U.S. Army convention here Oct. 4 to pay a musical
tribute to the troops and thank them for their service.
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| Charlie Daniels finished out
his set with his hit song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." |
Daniels, a rock-solid supporter of the
U.S. military who's been entertaining troops around the world for some
35 years, dazzled a foot-stomping, hand-clapping crowd in a jam-packed
ballroom at a reception hosted by U.S. Army Europe.
Army Gen. B.B. Bell, USAREUR and 7th
Army commander, said he invited Daniels to the event after the legendary
performer fiddled his way into the hearts of U.S. troops deployed to
Iraq and Afghanistan.
Those visits, as well as the Oct. 4
performance, were part of the "Stars for Stripes" program, which brings
top entertainment to U.S. troops, particularly those serving in remote
locations not typically visited by United Service Organizations tours.
"He went to the most difficult and
dangerous places" in the U.S. Central Command area of operations and
entertained deployed military members without accepting a penny for his
services, Bell said of Daniels and his band during an interview with the
American Forces Press Service.
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| Gen. B.B. Bell, United States
Army, Europe commanding general, talks with music legend Charlie
Daniels at the USAREUR hospitality suite at the Association of the
U.S. Army meeting and exposition in Washington D.C. |
"He gives of himself selflessly," Bell
said. "He's got all the qualities of a great soldier."
As a tribute to Bell, a Tennessee
native, Daniels played a rousing rendition of "Rocky Top," then slowed
the action down with a solemn delivery of "Amazing Grace," encouraging
those in the crowd to sing along.
Among those who joined in was Army
Command Sgt. Maj. Ralph Beam, 5th Corps' senior enlisted soldier, who
remembers hearing Daniels play at the first concert Beam ever attended,
at age 13.
"He's a real patriot," Beam said of
Daniels. "He's so approachable and so personal."
Many of the soldiers in the group
remember the Charlie Daniels Band entertaining them during his two
visits to Iraq and Afghanistan, and a video Daniels debuted Oct. 4
showcased footage from those visits.
"You should consider Charlie one of us,"
Army Brig. Gen. Russell Frutiger, USAREUR's deputy chief of staff for
personnel, told the group.
Frutiger called Daniels "a relentless
morale booster" who not only goes into harm's way to serenade the
troops, but also launched "Operation Heartstrings" in partnership with
Stars for Stripes to put musical instruments, recorded music, and DVD
and CD players into the hands of deployed troops.
During the concert, retired Army Gen.
Gordon Sullivan, former Army chief of staff and now president of AUSA,
presented Daniels an award honoring his years of service to the
military. "Thank you for what you have given to the soldiers, sailors,
airmen and Marines ... and the American people," Sullivan said.
Just as during Daniels' overseas tours,
when he typically spent hours following his concerts signing autographs
for every deployed servicemember who approached him, Daniels wrapped up
his Oct. 4 performance meeting the troops, signing autographs and posing
for photos.
Army Staff Sgt. Wendy Cooper from the
200th Theater Distribution Brigade, based in Kaiserslautern,
Germany, was among those who stood in line for an opportunity to meet and get
photographed with Daniels following the performance.
"He truly shows his support, and that
means a lot," said Cooper, who stationed herself at the front of the
group during the performance for a close-up view of Daniels and his
band. "It's great to know that people support us."
"He's absolutely awesome," agreed Army
Capt. Elizabeth Barnaby, an occupational therapist assigned to
Landstuhl Regional
Medical Center, in Germany. "I
can't thank him enough for being that supportive."
While signing autographs, Daniels told
the American Forces Press Service he remembers the day Pearl Harbor was
bombed in 1941 and has had a love affair with the military ever since.
"Everyone in uniform is a hero to me,"
he said. "I've felt that way since I was 5 years old, and nothing has
ever changed."
In closing his concert, Daniels
expressed his ongoing support and hinted that the Charlie Daniels Band
will continue to visit troops when they're deployed.
"Thank you for what you're doing around
the world," he said. "And wherever you happen to be, don't be surprised
if we show up." |
