Kudos to country singer Chely Wright, who performed in Iraq last week:

Since World War II, American celebrities have been raising the morale of service members overseas with different forms of entertainment ranging from concerts to stand-up shows.

In an effort to keep that tradition alive, country singer Chely Wright, visited Al Asad, Iraq, to entertain and lift the spirits of service members, March 3.

“I’m thankful and really appreciative that (the band members) and I get to fly around the world on airplanes, ride in tour buses and get on stage and do what we love to do, and people clap for us when we do our jobs,” said Wright. “People don’t often clap for you folks, so we are here to say, ‘thank you. ’”

This was Wright’s last stop on her tour, which was sponsored by Stars for Stripes, before returning to her hometown of Nashville, Tenn. Stars for Stripes is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing quality entertainment to internationally deployed U.S. military forces, according to www.starsforstripes.com.

During her overseas tour, Wright visited service members throughout Iraq, Kuwait and Germany.

Wright, who is no stranger to the military, feels that it is her duty to participate in overseas tours.

“My grandfather served in the Army during World War II, my father was in the Navy during Vietnam and my brother is currently an active duty U.S. Marine,” said Wright. “Aside from the fact that I have a military history with my family, I am just one of those Americans who is thankful for what (service members) do.”

In her visit to Al Asad, Wright performed various songs from her albums, in addition to talking to the crowd about her experiences throughout her tour.

The night was capped off with the song that made her famous with service members and their families, “Bumper of My SUV.” But before starting, Wright explained the meaning behind the song; it was written after a woman pointed to Wrights’ Marine Corps bumper sticker, which was sent by her Marine brother, and shouted, “Your war is wrong.”

“I wanted to talk to her and tell her who I am,” said Wright of her experience. “I didn’t get to talk to her so I got home and I did what any good country singer would do, I wrote a song about it.”

The song was followed by a standing ovation from the crowd.

Here’s one of her early performances of the song via YouTube:

Lyrics if you want to sing along:

I’ve got a bright red sticker on the back of my car,
Says: “United States Marines.”
An’ yesterday a lady in a mini-van,
Held up her middle finger at me.
Does she think she knows what I stand for,
Or the things that I believe?
Just by looking at a sticker for the US Marines,
On the bumper of my S.U.V.

See, my brother Chris, he’s been in,
For more than 14 years now.
Our Dad was in the Navy during Vietnam,
Did his duty, then he got out.
And my Grandpa earned his Purple Heart,
On the beach of Normandy.
That’s why I’ve got a sticker for the US Marines,
On the bumper of my S.U.V.

But that doesn’t mean that I want war:
I’m not Republican or Democrat.
But I’ve gone all around this crazy world,
Just to try to better understand.
An’ yes, I do have questions:
I get to ask them because I’m free.
That’s why I’ve got a sticker for the US Marines,
On the bumper of my S.U.V.

‘Cause I’ve been to Hiroshima,
An’ I’ve been to the DMZ.
I’ve walked on the sand in Baghdad,
Still don’t have all of the answers I need.
But I guess I wanna know where she’s been,
Before she judges and gestures to me,
‘Cause she don’t like my sticker for the US Marines,
On the bumper of my S.U.V.

So I hope that lady in her mini-van,
Turns on her radio and hears this from me.
As she picks up her kids,
From their private school,
An’ drives home safely on our city streets.
Or to the building where her church group meets:
Yeah, that’s why I’ve got a sticker for the US Marines,
On the bumper of my S.U.V.

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