White Rose's Adventures

Joe Nichols Iraq Trip and “Believers” video

“Believer” is  Joe Nichols’ single from his upcoming album “Old Things New,” scheduled to release October 27th. In June, Joe preformed for the Troops in Iraq.  He told me in a phone interview that it was almost the last minuet when they decided to take a videographer with them. Hopping a C130 from Kuwait to TQ and then a helicopter to Ramadi and Al Asad, Joe got a small taste of what our troops deal with every day. When I asked him if there was anything that surprised him about the trip, he said, “The physical demands of the Troops. The 130 degree heat is enough on it’s own, but they carry all this gear on their backs in that heat and they don’t complain. They do their job.” Joe recalled the stadium at Al Asad and how great it was to see an American Flag flying high above a place that held such a bad history from when Saddam was in power. Every where Joe went in Iraq he was impressed with the stamina and dedication of the Troops. “It’s the simple things and it was great to be able to bring a little bit of home to the Troops.” he told me when asked about what he thought of his tour. I also asked if he had plans to return to Iraq or maybe go to Afghanistan, “I hope to go to Afghanistan, if my wife will let me. It’s a little more dangerous there, but I do want to go.”

The Troops are very special to Joe. He has several family members that have served in the military. “None are over there now, but I do have a cousin, a mother of two, that just came home from Iraq, not to long ago.” he told me. He is very proud to have been able to entertain the Troops and help them “forget where they are for a little while.” Not long after he came home form Iraq he received a letter from the mother of a Marine. In the letter she wrote:

I just received a phone call from my U.S. Marine son currently deployed in Ramadi, Iraq. I have not heard that kind of excitement in his voice for a long time. When I asked him how he was doing he responded, “FANTASTIC!” He called just to tell me that you had played for the troops last night and then stayed as long as necessary to sign autographs and take pictures with him and the others.

You can read the full letter here.

While in Iraq, Joe also visited the hospitals where many of the less sever wounded were. ”Their courage and strength is impressive” Joe said. Joe will be performing along with Heidi Winfield in Tyler, TX on October 24th  in the “Country for Our Country” concert to benefit Wounded Warriors. You can find out more about the concert at CountryforOurCountry.com

Joe Nichols works hard to stay in touch with his fans. On September 21st he held a Twitter chat and his first live video chat with fans through Ustream and Facebook. He also has his Official Web Site and a YouTube page. You can also get a copy of the “Believers” song in iTunes.