USO Tour Blog - O.A.R. |
|
Our USO tour of Kuwait and Iraq changed my life forever.
– Our USO tour of Kuwait and Iraq changed my life forever..
In Aug. 2007, music sensation O.A.R. traveled on a USO tour to the Persian Gulf region. Below is an excerpt from O.A.R. lead singer Marc Roberge's blog, written after the band returned from their visit with the troops.
"I am pretty sure that throughout my lifetime I will have but few great experiences. We have all had good school years, an exciting summer love, a truly amazing trip with our friends. But when it comes to life changing, perspective twisting, head spinning moments, I am convinced the human being can only take a handful of adjustments over the course of our years. Think about it. Throughout your life can you truly pinpoint more than one moment in which you remember being changed forever? Consciously witnessing your life taking a new road onto which you have never been and from which you will never return. Sounds exaggerated, right? Our USO tour of Kuwait and Iraq changed my life forever.
We arrived in Kuwait on Sunday evening, went to our hotel and were reminded immediately by an incredibly friendly hotel staff to check out the framed photos displayed on the wall of what the hotel looked like after Saddam invaded Kuwait in 1990-91. It was completely destroyed from inside out. I understood why they seemed to push us to view the pictures. The hotel had been rebuilt beautifully and stood as a testament to the will of the Kuwaiti people. This was a perfect way to begin our journey. What was once destroyed had risen again with distinction, class, and pride. The group got together for dinner, had some laughs, then off to sleep. The next day we would be playing a show at the base in Kuwait.
We all know men and women in the service, but until you are invited to join their daily lives it is difficult to understand what drives them to do what they do. Over the course of the next few days, I would see that it isn't only the cause they fight for, but the people they fight along side of. Some of the best times we had were in the DFAC (dining facility). We got to talk to folks face to face. I met a girl from Charleston, South Carolina who was at our show this summer just prior to her deployment. Her boyfriend was stationed in Iraq. Two of her brothers were in Iraq and her parents had both served in the Army as well. Who says a sorority girl from South Carolina can't be a bad a** and true patriot? I ran into an old friend from college who used to sit next to me in Sociology class and has since been in the service. That was crazy. I recognized him from twenty feet away and the ten years since our last class just slipped away as we talked football, marriage, and kids."
- Marc Roberge, O.A.R.
Read the entire passage from Marc's blog now!
USO photos by Dave Gatley
Watch Video of O.A.R. USO Tour
After an unforgettable time visiting the troops overseas, the band has put together a video that captures their experiences. Taken mainly from photos and videos that the band member's shot themselves, we are proud to present you with this documentation of their USO Tour.
Purchase a O.A.R. - USO Tour T-shirt
In addition, to commemorate their first USO experience, O.A.R. has created a limited edition USO Tour T-shirt. The t-shirt contains show dates and locations for all four stops on the band's USO Tour. For every t-shirt purchased from now until December 31st, O.A.R. will donate $10 to the USO.
Anyone purchasing the USO Tour T-Shirt from the O.A.R. Store will automatically receive 15% off the cost of the T-shirt as well as any other items purchased in the same transaction. * Please note, the discount is not applicable to product combos that are already discounted.
Purchase a USO Tour T-shirt now!