New Chely Wright Recording to Benefit Stars for
Stripes
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2004 — Due to its
overwhelming popularity among the troops in Southwest Asia, country
music star Chely Wright is about to release a new single recording,
"Bumper of My SUV," about the need for Americans to continue
supporting the men and women fighting the war on terror.
Country music
star Chely Wright tears up as she sings "Bumper of My SUV" for
troops in Iraq. Wright said she wrote the song in response to
another driver's response to her bumper sticker supporting the
U.S. Marine Corps. Photo courtesy of Stars for Stripes
(Click photo for screen- resolution image);
high-resolution image available.
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Half of the proceeds of the recording will go to Stars for
Stripes, the nonprofit organization that sponsored Wright's recent
10-day, five-concert tour in Iraq and Kuwait.
Stars for Stripes provides quality entertainment to deployed
troops, particularly those in remote outposts not typically visited
during USO tours, explained founder, president and chief executive
officer Judy Seale. The most recent tour, from Sept. 13 to 22, was
Stars for Stripes' third to Southwest Asia. Armed Forces
Entertainment funded the tour.
During the most recent tour, Wright presented one of the first
performances of her new and yet-unrecorded song, "Bumper of My SUV."
The lyrics describe a U.S. Marine Corps bumper sticker on Wright's
vehicle — a tribute to her brother, Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt.
Christopher Wright, who recently returned from Iraq — and another
motorist's response to it with an obscene gesture.
In her lyrics, Wright questions why the woman reacted as she did.
"I guess I wanna know where she's been before she judges and
gestures to me, 'cause she don't like my sticker for the U.S.
Marines on the bumper of my SUV," she sings.
"So I hope that lady in her minivan turns on her radio and hears
this from me, as she picks up her kids from their private school and
drives home safely on our city streets or to the building where her
church group meets," Wright continues. "Yeah, that's why I've got a
sticker for the U.S. Marines on the bumper of my SUV."
Seale said the song brought an amazing response every time Wright
performed it in Iraq and Kuwait, including standing ovations, cheers
and tears — in Wrights' eyes as well as those of the troops.
She said she was so moved by their reaction -- with so many
asking her to record it as a message to the American people — that
she felt compelled to produce a recording.
"Thank you for the song and for acknowledging that we're not a
bunch of warmongers," Wright said the deployed troops told her,
adding, "Many of us believe that we are doing great things, and
furthermore, we're just doing our jobs."
"I can't even describe how wonderful the song is," a sergeant
wrote to the Stars for Stripes Web site following the concert at
Logistics Support Area Anaconda in Iraq. "It was great and brought a
tear to just about everyone in the room's eye," added an airman in
Iraq who attended one of the concerts.
The song has become a top title on Armed Forces Network radio,
which has been playing the home demo tape Wright recorded after a
previous trip to Iraq, then set aside until her latest return tour.
The troops praised Wright for coming to Iraq to entertain them,
and Stars for Stripes for its sponsorship. "It was such a pleasure
to have Chely come perform for us," an airman wrote to the Stars for
Stripes site. "The daily rigor of being deployed in a hostile
environment wears thin on one, and to have her here was a breath of
fresh air."
"It helped remind me of home and give me a break from the daily
grind here," agreed another soldier following the concert at Forward
Operating Base Summerall. "Thank you for the work you and Stars for
Stripes do for those of us in uniform. It means a great deal to me
and others in my unit."
"You did what few have done," wrote another soldier in Iraq. "You
put your life on the line to give the troops a good time and bring
us a little joy. Guess what? It worked! We had fun!"
The trip was not without its low spots and reminders about the
cost of war and freedom. During one show, a rocket was fired over
the stage, although the round turned out to be a dud and no one was
hurt.
During the closing days of the tour, Wright learned that a
soldier she had met and posed for a photo with during her concert at
Camp Summerall was killed in an ambush the following day.
"Learning that he lost his life the day after our performance was
very sobering to our entire group," Seale said. "I do know that he
had a great time at the concert and was so excited to meet Chely and
have his photo taken with her. It is comforting to know that we were
able to lift his spirits and see how much fun he was having that
evening."
As the group left Baghdad for Kuwait on the return trip, they
accompanied the coffin carrying the body of a U.S. civilian employee
killed in Iraq. "It was definitely a reality check for us," Seale
said of the experience, noting that the group remained "very subdued
and thoughtful in respect during the flight. "Looking back," she
said, "we feel it was an honor for us to have been able to accompany
the body on this flight."
Yet Wright called the tour in Southwest Asia "the best trip of my
life." Word is that additional visits to entertain the troops are in
her future, including a trip back to the area of operations.
Seale said the tour was an exciting step forward for Stars for
Stripes: the first time the organization brought a celebrity
entertainer with a full band into Iraq and was able to tour from
camp to camp each day. The group visited a school in Balad and
village in Bayji City, and provided the first celebrity musical
entertainment to be offered for troops in the International Zone,
commemorating the Air Force's 57th birthday.
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Service members at the International Zone in Iraq take time
out to enjoy a concert by Chely Wright and her band. The concert
was sponsored by Stars for Stripes. Photo courtesy of Stars for
Stripes |
 |
High resolution photo |
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Judy Seale, founder, president and chief executive officer
of Stars for Stripes, meets with schoolchildren in Iraq during a
concert tour featuring country star Chely Wright. Photo courtesy
of Stars for Stripes |
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High resolution photo |
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