"I've had the opportunity
to travel to some of the small FOBs
on previous tours and saw the impact
our visits made on the men and women
in those sites," says Worley. "It
has been a dream of mine for several
years to do an entire tour focused
on the remote sites where our
Special Ops Forces are located.
Those guys are our unsung heroes,
facing the most dangerous situations
and not asking for any recognition
for their service. To be able to
personally visit and thank that
segment of our nation's heroes was
truly a special blessing."
Accompanying Worley on the
tour was his long-time friend and
guitarist, Jeff "Soir" Jared,and
Stars for Stripes President, Judy
Seale. Seale, who founded SFS in
2003, helped make it possible for
Worley to make the up-close and
personal visits and says it's a tour
she won't soon forget.
"When I founded Stars for
Stripes, my goal was to reach the
most remote sites where our men and
women serving rarely receive
celebrity visits," notes Seale.
"I've accomplished that goal
throughout the years, but never to
the extent that we managed on this
tour. It was life-altering for all
of us, and we were so fortunate to
have the opportunity to say thank
you in person to those who rarely
receive those accolades. I will
forever be grateful to Darryl for
his support and having the foresight
to recognize the need for tours like
this."
The tour began on the
Western Part of Afghanistan with a
visit to the Marine Special
Operations Forces where Worley
entertained a handful of Marines at
the site. They continued on to their
second stop with the Navy Seals at a
Village Stability Platform (VSP),
where our military "lives" in an
Afghan Village with the locals. Bad
weather moved into the area and
extended their stay. After Worley
performed, they ate lunch and dinner
together and Worley was able to just
hang out and get to know each of
them on a more personal level. Their
final day in Afghanistan took them
to the Army Special Operations
Forces where the "audience"
consisted of an equal number of Army
Special Ops and Afghan Special Ops.
After the performance, they were
treated to an Afghan meal -- goat,
gravy, and "nan-e" - traditional
Afghan bread.
Worley's closing
performance of the tour took place
in Kuwait at Ali Al Salem Air Base,
referred to as "The Rock." Following
his 90-minute performance to a
packed theatre of more than 500
servicemen and women, Worley signed
autographs and took photos with
everyone before departing home to
the states.
"These tours always touch
my heart and feed my soul," says
Worley. "I feel so incredibly
inspired, honored and humbled at the
same time."
Now that Worley is back on
U.S. soil, he will pick back up on
his regular touring schedule, which
includes performances next month
during the 2012 CMA Music Festival
in Nashville and BamaJam 2012, where
he'll host the three-day festival's
opening night on Thursday, June 14.
