Photo By Spc. Allison Churchill | 41st Fires Brigade Soldiers (from left), Sgt. Anthony DeLuca, Spc. Chad Maslowski,...... read more read more
By Spc. Allison Churchill
41st Fires Brigade
FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq – The "Honky Tonk Tailgate Tour," which could have also been called the "Country and Comedy Tour" played the Forward Operating Base Delta Stage, Sept. 20, 2008.
Country singer and songwriters Mark Wills, Trent Willmon and Ray Scott sang and joked about beer, traveling and women, including tour mate Valerie Waugaman, better known as "Siren" from "American Gladiators," who also works as a motivational speaker.
The show started with Waugaman getting the crowd in the mood for entertainment, teaching them her favorite way to motivate herself.
"Bring it!" she screamed while hitting herself, inviting the audience to copy her or make up their own moves.
The musicians took turns playing songs from their respective albums, with Scott starting the show.
Wills invited Spc. Laura DeLeon, 589th Brigade Support Battalion, to sit on the stage for a personal serenade of "I Do (Cherish You)."
"They mingled with the crowd really well," said Staff Sgt. Robert Woodall, operations non-commissioned officer for the 41st Fires Brigade air defense airspace management cell.
Woodall, of Arkadelphia, Ark., said he was already familiar with many of Wills' songs and would probably look for Willmon and Scott's music.
"It was entertaining, even though I don't like country music," said Orlando, Fla., native Sgt. Enrique Collazo, 41st Fires Bde. operations non-commissioned officer, who usually listens to Latin or Ska music.
The tour itself started in the U.S. with Wills, Willmon, Scott and Buddy Jewell. Willmon and Scott listened to Wills talk about his experiences playing for troops overseas and decided to bring the tour over to Iraq.
"We do it for the people here, but it's also fulfilling for us. It makes you feel like you're doing something to give back," Wills said.
"Not having my cell phone on for a week has been a vacation," Willmon added.
Both Wills' and Scott's fathers are veterans of the Vietnam War. Wills said listening to his dad's stories about Bob Hope's USO visits inspired his own visits to combat zones.
Fans had the opportunity to meet and pose for photos with the stars at a meet and greet in the Morale, Welfare and Recreation center immediately after the show.
| Date Taken: | 09.20.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2008 12:15 |
| Story ID: | 24137 |
| Location: | AL KUT, IQ |
| Web Views: | 353 |
| Downloads: | 232 |
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