Toby Keith's Memorial Day In Iraq: A View From "The Audience"

Mt. Vernon, Ohio, News Staff Writer John Boyce's column presents a May 29 story written by USMC Cpl. Lynn Murillo for his hometown paper on Toby's USO show:

This is Keith’s second visit to Camp Fallujah — the first was in 2004 just after Marines took over the camp. He played two other venues on Memorial Day as part of the USO’s Toby Keith Tour. “You can’t appreciate what service members do until you see it,” Keith said. “Everybody is so good at what they do and when you come here, you can really understand why America is the number one fighting force in the world.”

The country singer expressed a special satisfaction in lifting troop morale and honoring his father, a Vietnam veteran. The Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Michael W. Hagee was in the front row for the concert and sang along as Keith sang “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” from his 2003 album “Unleashed.” Hagee said he enjoyed the concert and was happy to welcome the superstar known as “the bad boy of country music” to the headquarters for Marines operating in Al Anbar province.