41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team

Story by Spc. Cory Grogan

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Mark Chesnutt and his band brought honky tonk music to Iraq during his first of four performances for service members at the Victory Base Complex, Aug. 11.

"This is the first time we've come out here; we wished we could've come out here earlier but we never did get our schedule worked out; last year we tried to come over so we've been psyched up about this all year. We couldn't wait to get over here," said Chesnutt during an interview at the Joint Visitors Bureau Hotel which is being run by the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team's Charlie Troop of 1/82 Cavalry from the Oregon National Guard.

The keyboard player for Chesnutt's band who served in the Marines from 1979-83 explained that "We do this because of what you guys do. [W]e couldn't play music if we didn't live in a free country, and we all know there's only one way to have a free country and that's through our military."

Chesnutt and his band took time to hang out with Soldiers prior to their performance. The band members laughed, told stories and drank non-alcoholic beer with Soldiers by one of Sadaam Hussein's man-made lakes.

During the interaction, Maj. Chris Reese from Albany, Ore., gave the band members a lesson on how the laser mounted sight of an M4 works, and the band shared stories about hunting, fishing, the Marines, hanging out with George Strait, and trips to Mexico and Depot Bay, Ore.

The band has a deep appreciation for what service members do and mentioned that they are proud to be able to do something to help take service members minds away from stress for a while.

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