Photo By Master Sgt. Opal Vaughn | Country music singer Trace Adkins performs his song "Arlington," for 2nd Stryker...... read more read more
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By Spc. Opal Vaughn
14th Public Affairs Detachment
A tall, robust man emerges from the crowd. Plainly dressed in a green shirt and khakis, neatly kept goatee and long pony-tailed hair, Trace Adkins, country music singer, takes up his guitar and strums a few strings.
Whoops and hollers, even screams of "I love you, Trace," roars from the crowd.
"Well uh, I guess I should introduce myself," Adkins smiles as the crowd of 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment Soldiers goes wild during a concert in the dining facility at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, located in Diyala, Iraq, Sept. 23, 2008.
The waiting is over. The crowd soon starts to hush as Adkins plucks a couple more strings and begins his first song, "Merry for Money."
For over a decade now, Trace Adkins has made a name for himself in the contemporary country music scene with his instantly recognizable baritone voice. Even with fortune and fame, Adkins insists on remaining humble and true to self.
His tour of Iraq is no exception.
"I'm not going to pat myself on the back and say that I'm that big of a deal," Adkins stated.
Even when stricken with a cold flu, Adkins continues to push himself in support of the troops.
"Since I've had a record deal, I've only cancelled three shows because I broke my leg and the other two because I had emergency surgery," Adkins stated.
"I've done shows with kidney stones, broke legs and lots of other injuries, but I just don't cancel shows," Adkins said clearing his throat. "And I know I didn't do a good job today and I feel bad about that but my voice is completely gone."
Shaking his head, Adkins continued, "I very seldom ever get sick and this is the most in-opportune time for it to happen. But the medics here have been taking real good care of me, and I appreciate that."
Before Adkins became a country music superstar he was just another average guy working hard to make a living. The Louisiana native sang in a gospel quartet, played football for Louisiana Tech and worked as a pipefitter on an off-shore drilling rig before deciding to move to Nashville in 1992. Three years later, Adkins was signed to a major record label.
Married now for over 20 years, Adkins music deals with love, loss, sex and blue-collar realities. A few of his well-known songs are "Honky-Tonk Badonkadonk," "Til' the Last Shots Fired," "American Man" and "Fighting Words." All of his music explores the good times in life and the bad times in life.
When it comes to performing his hit songs, Adkins prefers to play them live.
"My favorite part about performing is the instance gratification that you get when you do something that a crowd likes," Adkins stated. "When you're in the studio, there's no one there clapping or having a good time. I prefer doing live shows because I love to interact with the fans."
Looking around at all the Soldiers faces, Adkins began to strum his guitar and close with the last song of the evening, "Arlington."
But before he began to sing, he took a moment to say a couple of words to the Soldiers. He began by saying, "I'm here on behalf of the mothers and the fathers, the husbands and the wives, and the children and the friends - just to say thanks."
"On behalf of a million people, I say thank you, and I support you," Adkins added. "There are a lot of 'But People,' but you've got to put your money where your mouth is. You cannot just go running around saying you support the troops and not actually get your boots on the ground and not do it."
Adkins continued to address the Soldiers while he played his guitar.
"I would feel guilty if I walked around saying that I supported the troops and not do it. I support you guys, period."
A roar of applaud and whistles hailed throughout the dining facility, and then Adkins began to sing "Arlington" to close the concert out.
With a standing ovation, Adkins stood and said, "Thank you and God bless you."
After the concert was complete, Adkins remained behind to take pictures and sign autographs for Soldiers.
| Date Taken: | 10.04.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 10.04.2008 13:24 |
| Story ID: | 24512 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 645 |
| Downloads: | 505 |
This work, Trace Adkins, American man, by MSG Opal Vaughn, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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