NASHVILLE, Tenn.--After wrapping up a brief tour in Scandanavia earlier this month, country recording artist Mark Chesnutt jumped aboard a plane and headed to Iraq with the mission to perform for our troops as part of the Stars For Stripes summer concert series. The seven-day jaunt (August 9 through August 15) enabled Chesnutt to visit with and perform before the service men and women stationed in the Iraq bases, Sather AB, Camp Victory, Camp Liberty and Camp Stryker as well as Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.
Although Mark and his band members deliver reports of enduring intense heat and very little sleep, the overall sentiment is of joy, humility and giving back to our brothers and sisters in uniform who serve our country.
“The trip was a thrilling and memorable experience for me,” Chesnutt states. “Being able to interact with and perform for the service men and women who defend our freedom everyday was an opportunity of a lifetime.  To meet the folks, whom I don’t even know by name, that protect me and my family, without question, each and every day was truly a blessing.”
Performing in five separate shows (one in Kuwait and four in Iraq), Mark enjoyed the opportunity to spend quality time with the troops including meet and greets in which Mark made personal introductions with each and every individual. As part of the itinerary, Mark also took a helicopter out to visit two Forward Operating Bases (FOBs)--the FOB War Eagle and FOB Istiqlaal before flying back to the States on the 14-hour flight to D.C.
Mark was presented with a commemorative coin as a “thank-you;” the Challenge Coin, as it is commonly referred, was presented to Chesnutt by General Ray Odierno, Commanding General, Multi-National Force, Iraq.
The Stars For Stripes series is in its sixth year of entertaining our troops deployed to remote locations overseas with more than 40 tours completed. Stars For Stripes celebrity tours improve the morale and general welfare of our U. S. Military personnel and promote patriotism and civic pride among the troops and the general public.
Mark Chesnutt is a country music veteran who has performed at a multitude of benefit concerts throughout his 19-year career. To date, he has four platinum albums, five gold albums, 14 No. 1 singles and 23 Top 10 singles to his name. Mark most recent release, "She Never Got Me Over You,” comes from Chesnutt's latest CD project ROLLIN' WITH THE FLOW (Lofton Creek Records).