Sent in by Veterans News and Information Services
By Linda D. Kozaryn
CAMP DOHA, Kuwait -- They spent nearly 30 hours in the air
and went more than 13,000 miles in three days just to say
'thanks' to the military men and women of Operation Desert
Fox.
Defense Secretary William S. Cohen invited singer-
songwriters Mary Chapin Carpenter, who's received four
country music Grammy awards; Carole King, whose musical
career spans four decades; and David Ball, one of
Nashville's newest stars, to accompany him to remote sites
in the Arabian Gulf Dec. 22 to 24.
It was Chapin Carpenter's second holiday tour with the
defense secretary. Last year, alone with her guitar, the
country star performed for service members in Italy,
Macedonia and Bosnia. Her hits "Down at the Twist and
Shout" and "I Feel Lucky" had troops as well as the
secretary and his wife, Janet Langhart, clapping, two-
stepping, and singing along.
"Dinner time in the mess hall in Tuzla last year was pretty
amazing," Chapin Carpenter recalled. "It was informal.
People were just getting up and walking over. It was just
kind of electric. There was kind of an energy. It was
Christmas Eve."
This year Chapin Carpenter said, "My arm was ready to fall
off, I signed so many autographs." Asked if she's willing
to do a military tour again next year, she replied, "If
they ask me -- yes. It's a privilege."
Chapin Carpenter said she was disappointed the singers
couldn't also make it to Bosnia. "You just kind of don't
want anyone to think that they're not important enough,"
she said. "But it's not about that really; there's only so
much time they have to do these things."
Originally, the three entertainers were to visit troops in
Bosnia and Macedonia, and sailors in port in Spain. But at
the last minute, the itinerary changed and they were told
to prepare for warm weather. Early Dec. 22, Cohen and his
guests boarded a National Airborne Operations Center 747 at
Andrews Air Force Base, Md., bound for the Persian Gulf.
After a 13-hour flight, the party arrived at Prince Sultan
Air Base, Saudi Arabia, where the day was just beginning.
There, after Cohen thanked members of the 363rd Air
Expeditionary Wing for supporting Operation Desert Fox, the
singers performed an a cappella version of Carole King's
classic song, "You've Got a Friend." Military officials
limited the performance out of respect for the Muslim
observance of Ramadan, a month of fasting, prayer and
retreat.
The group then boarded a C-17 transport aircraft bound for
Kuwait City where they climbed aboard Marine Corps
helicopters bound for the USS Enterprise. It was from the
decks of the Enterprise that the majority of aircraft
strikes were launched against Iraq during Desert Fox.
Aboard the carrier nicknamed the "Big E," King opened the
show with a confession. "For a long time, I guess I took
what you folks did for granted," she said. "I certainly
don't anymore. Back in the United States, we've been seeing
you on TV. I just wanted you to know we care. We consider
you our family and we want to be with you."
After a final concert at Camp Doha outside Kuwait City, the
group spent the night as guests of the Kuwaitis and headed
home the next morning. During the 16-hour return flight,
the singers and musicians continued the show over the
Atlantic. They sang a medley of Christmas carols, honky
tonk, rock and roll and country songs with members of the
747 crew from Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., and the
secretary's staff.
Jeff Harvey, USO celebrity coordinator, said the USO
sponsored the entertainers who volunteered their time in
the spirit of Bob Hope. The USO has provided entertainment
to service members for more than 50 years.
"The defense secretary's office helped recruit some of the
artists," said Harvey. "Mary Chapin Carpenter said she had
such a great time last year, she wanted to come back for
round number two."
"We're happy any time we can go to a deployed place,
especially at this time of year," Harvey said. "That's the
goal of the USO. We want to be with the people who feel
they're the farthest from home.
"I've been to many of these remote sites and they're hard
places to live," he continued. "These service members are
living in tents, eating in chow lines. They're away from
their families for months and months at a time. I'm sure
that's got to be the hardest part."
For this tour, working with the secretary of defense,
Harvey said, enabled the USO to support a larger show.
"We're happy to have a singer with a guitar perform for 10
soldiers on a muddy hillside," he said. "If we can get the
equipment and people into a location like those in the
Middle East, which we wouldn't normally have access to with
this much stuff, we love it. We're able to bring a full
size concert a couple days before Christmas right into the
heart of where we need to be."
Earlier this year, the USO took Hootie and the Blowfish to
the Middle East, Bosnia and Hungary. Country artists Ricky
Skaggs and Paul Overstreet did several shows in Bosnia and
Hungary. Upcoming tours include the Dallas Cowboy
Cheerleaders, the Blues Travelers and several comedians,
Harvey said.
Mary Chapin Carpenter sings her hit song "I
Feel Lucky" to the crew of the USS Enterprise during a
visit to the ship Dec. 23. The Enterprise carrier battle
group is currently leaving the Persian Gulf to continue its
six-month deployment. (PH3 Jason D. Malcom, USN)
Carol King sings "Locomotion" to the crew of
the USS Enterprise during a visit to the ship Dec. 23.
King, Mary Chapin Carpenter and David Ball accompanied
Defense Secretary William S. Cohen to the Persian Gulf.
(PH3 Jason D. Malcom)
American Forces Press Service
