Aaron Tippin Tour Marine Corps. Museum
1/16/2008 Aaron Tippin toured the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va., on Friday (1/11). The singer was on hand to formalize his relationship with Toys for Tots, the charitable organization run by the Marines. Aaron is a longtime supporter of Toys for Tots. During his concerts he builds a bicycle onstage while performing his hit, “Working Man's Ph.D.” The bike is then donated to the charity. “My career was kicked off by Bob Hope in 1990 during the Persian Gulf war,” Aaron tells the Fredericksburg (MD) Free Lance-Star. “The first thing that I ever did in country music was get on a C-141 and go with Bob Hope to Saudi Arabia to entertain our troops.” That USO tour sparked Aaron’s first major country hit in 1991. “You've Got to Stand for Something” hit the Top 10 and became an anthem for soldiers and civilians during the first Gulf War. Aaron’s 2001 single, “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly," came on the heels of the Sept. 11 tragedies and cemented his reputation as country music's American flag-bearer. Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, Aaron has been a frequent flier to the Middle East, performing for soldiers at Forward Operating Bases in the region, most recently during the Thanksgiving holiday. “I've been to a lot of places in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Aaron said during a walk through the museum’s Global War on Terrorism Gallery. “As I look around at these pictures, I see places that might not be exactly where I was, but it sure looked just like that.” In spite of the ongoing conflicts, Aaron says he’s seen some improvement. “We visited a hospital in [Camp] Anaconda that we had visited two years ago and it was full of American wounded. This time, there were two Americans there. Things are getting better. The average Iraqi citizen is stepping up to the plate to take their country back and live free.”
