Contact: Lisa Frederick (703) 696-3278                                      

Lisa.Frederick@fmmc.army.mil

Country Singer Chely Wright Deals for Wounded Troops at
USO “Texas Hold ’em” Poker Tournament

  Washington, DC—One of Nashville’s superstars, country music artist Chely Wright, made a very special appearance last night on the campus of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  Ms. Wright was the celebrity dealer at the USO of Metropolitan Washington’s first-ever Texas Hold ‘em Poker Tournament.  The USO of Metropolitan Washington (USO-Metro) organized the tournament for patients who are recovering from injuries sustained while serving in the war on terror.  The patients are staying with their families at Walter Reed’s Mologne House while receiving care at the medical center.

            In 2003 and 2004, Ms. Wright worked with USO-Metro to visit wounded service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda.  While she was in Washington, DC this week, she spent time visiting our wounded troops at the medical centers again.  Ms. Wright has also toured overseas with the USO to entertain deployed troops. 

            USO-Metro also works very closely with Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda to provide entertainment, services, and support for service members injured in the war on terror. USO-Metro has initiated several programs to help support these American heroes, and provides emergency housing, phone cards, taxi vouchers, and food assistance to wounded servicemen and women and their family members. As the patients recover, USO-Metro arranges excursions outside the hospital to activities such as local sporting events and concerts.  For the patients who are not able to leave the hospital walls, USO-Metro arranges celebrity handshake tours to boost the morale of these patients, as well as concerts and events on hospital grounds. Ms. Wright understands what it means to be a family member of someone in the military because her grandfather and father served and her brother is still serving in Iraq.     

For more information, please call Lisa Frederick at 703-696-3278 or email Lisa.Frederick@fmmc.army.mil.