Entertainers Who Support the Troops

Every once in awhile you hear about celebrities, be they movie stars or musicians, who praise the troops, visit the troops, or put together special projects for the troops. Here is one recent example:

John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting has brought together many musicians to produce a CD for the troops. Here's the skinny:

Just in time for the holidays, 13 major recording artists have created a musical “Thank You” for the troops.

“CD for the Troops” will be available for anyone with a valid military identification card to download at no cost from the Army and Air Force Exchange Service Web site, www.aafes.com, beginning tomorrow.

Getting this project, which combined the music of Billy Joel, Brooks & Dunn, the Goo Goo Dolls, Jewel, Josh Groban, Los Lonely Boys, Melissa Ethridge, the Neville Brothers, Sarah McLachlan, the Lt. Dan Band, Montgomery Gentry, The Fray, and Five For Fighting, to troops’ ears took true teamwork. John Ondrasik, the singer-songwriter who performs under the stage name “Five For Fighting,” was intimately involved with making sure that happened.

Several times during deployments, I had the opportunity to see and interact with celebrities. Although, I might not have agreed with their political leanings or really liked what they had to offer as far as entertainment goes, I took the time to visit with them and tell them how much I appreciated what they were doing to support the troops. I certainly admire those who support the troops, and tend to, more often then not, support them by listening to their music or seeing their movies.