Photo By Marlene Houngbedji | Country legend Toby Keith checked and signed Naval Mobile Construction...... read more read more
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE DWYER, Afghanistan – Country singer Toby Keith entertained U.S. Marines and Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion-11 during an April 28 concert on Forward Operating Base Dwyer. The United Service Organizations-sponsored CENTCOM 2012 Tour provided one young Seabee with memories of a lifetime.
A heat wave, high winds and a semblance of dust storm failed to keep three hundred or so troops from welcoming country music legend Toby Keith to the southern Helmand province’s bare pastures. It most certainly did not prevent NMCB-11’s Seaman Nicholas W. Pfaff, of Germantown, Wis., from spending his lunch break on what was to become a memorable occasion. “I’ve been a fan of his since I was in high school; his music is different from what we hear all the time. Something in his lyrics really appeals to me,” said Pfaff, crediting his father with instilling a love of country music -and of Keith’s repertoire, especially- in him.
The 45-minute performance included some of Keith’s greatest hits, followed by the customary meet-and-greet of troops in attendance. With just a few minutes before his lunch break was over, Pfaff was left with very little time for an autograph and far down the line of service members seeking the same. With the help of a fellow Seabee, he caught the attention of an event staff member, to whom he gave a ragged piece of paper he had been keeping in his uniform’s pocket. One look at the sheet prompted Keith’s staff to immediately share it with the performer who met the Seabee and laughed at the sight of what turned out to be a bucket list. A star struck Pfaff exchanged a few words with his idol while the singer autographed ‘Nick’s Bucket List’ and placed a check mark by Item number 15; it read: “Meet Toby Keith.”
Founded in October 1941, the USO is a private, nonprofit organization that provides morale and recreational services to US service members, working in partnership with the Department of Defense to provide support and entertainment to our armed forces. Keith, who has been involved with entertainment for service members since the early stages of both the Iraq and Afghan wars, was performing with the USO for the 189th time. “He’s one of the few artists who actually go out and meet us. That tells me he cares,” concluded Pfaff whose morale, according to his teammates, has skyrocketed to unprecedented heights since the event. Keith’s closing statement as he waived troops goodbye confirms his perception. “Thank you for your service, thank you for my freedom,” said Keith, concluding a great moment in military entertainment brought to a U.S. Navy Seabee, courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.
Homeported in Gulfport, Miss., NMCB-11 is deployed to Afghanistan to conduct general, mobility, survivability engineering operations, defensive operations, Afghan National Army partnering and detachment of units in combined/joint operations area - Afghanistan in order to enable the neutralization of the insurgency and support improved governance and stability operations.
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2012 13:05 |
| Story ID: | 87667 |
| Location: | FORWARD OPERATING BASE DWYER, AF |
| Hometown: | GERMANTOWN, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 1,561 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, The bucket List: Seabee's wish granted, courtesy of country music legend, by Marlene Houngbedji, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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