Charlie Daniels Band stops at Joint Base Balad in Iraq as part of the Stars and Stripes tour.

Sharing classic favorites such as “Dixie On My Mind”, “Simple Man”, and “In America”, Charlie shows his support for the troops in a special performance at Sustainer Theater April 17th. The band also payed tribute to Johnny Cash, performing “Folsom Prison Blues” and handed out over 1,000 hand-autographed photos to the troops.

“We are here to perform for Balad because we want to; we care about what you all are doing over here,” Daniels said prior to the show. “I just want to do my part, because I can’t carry a gun, I can’t go and fight – I’m too old. But I can come and perform for you all and, if it helps you all do what you do, then I’m happy.

“This is a special audience [of military members]; they can’t go out and get concert tickets and see a concert anytime they want to,” the legendary musician continued. “There are a lot of things they can’t do. You can’t go off base; you can’t take a plane, or drive down to Florida for the weekend, or go fishing. You’re stuck here inside the wire. That’s a big commitment you guys volunteer to make. You come here because you want to be here. I’m here to support you and tell you all, ‘you’re doing a great job.’”

“Charlie Daniels is a true patriot,” added the Tucson, Ariz., native deployed here from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. “Everything they do, they express America, patriotism, and pride in what we do here.”

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