Singing for the Troops

[Natasha]

I've got to say how impressed I was when I heard about Katherine going to Iraq to sing for the soilders!

It really made me give her a second look, and I honestly enjoyed the video clip of "I will always love you."

So, go Katherine! You've got a new fan over here!

[crabbydog]

I hadn't heard she was doing that - good for her. Personally I think she has a very beautiful voice, and I have several CDs.

My only gripe is her choice of songs to sing leaves a little to be desired sometimes.

[gareth]

Before we get into misunderstanding, Katherine did sing for the troops at Christmas 2005. Before long there will be a documentary about Katherine on ITV Wales which will also deal with her visit to Iraq:

13.04.06 (Was Basra documentary)
Katherine Jenkins: In Her Own Words
ITV1 WalesThursday 13th April 2006
23:00 to 23:35
35 minutes.
In just two years Katherine Jenkins has gone from being a school teacher to an international music star. She has toured around the world and sold nearly two million albums. Andy Collinson travels with her to Iraq where she entertains British troops, and visits her and her family at home in Neath. How has she coped with her rapid rise to fame?

Gerrit

[chrisw]

I don't mean for this to be a negative statement, but the press she has received from her quick trip to Iraq is, in my opinion, far more than is deserved

I remember hearing about it at the time, and checked out a few articles from the likes of news.bbc and other reputable sources

She flew directly into Basrah International Airport, which is the HQ of the British troops in Iraq. The articles say that she sang to about 8,000 British troops in Southern Iraq, and sang to a packed hanger at Basrah Air Station (BAS)

The flight was a Royal Air Force Tristar which now flies regularly into Basrah. Not as comfortable as civillian airliners, but think Economy Class on any airline. Not exactly uncomfortable or dangerous..

Now my main problem is this. There are only 8,000 British troops in Iraq, and the majority of them are NOT based at the Air Station. BAS is home to an Army contingent, the Royal Air Force and the HQ which is comprised of elements from the multi-national elements under the British Command. This usually means about 1,000 in total at any one time. With duty rosters and patrols, she would have performed to no more than a third of that amount.

They usually take the VIP guests over to Shaibah, which is less than 50 miles away, and to ensure they're completely safe, they're flown by Chinook helicopter, or occasionally by Merlin. Military helicopters, so not overly comfortable, but again, fairly safe. Plus Shaibah is so big, it's a safe environment for the most part.

Considering the amount of troops that see these VIP's, and the amount that are interested in seeing them - classical music is not high on the to-see list of people who have been in the middle of the desert for the last few months - this is purely a publicity stunt, both to keep the public at home aware that Iraq still exists, and for the person themself, in this case, Katherine.

I'm not slating her for this, but just wanted to point out that this isn't like the US shows over there - this is a quick in, sing, talk and out procedure.

~Chris

Background: for anyone wondering about my expertise on this - except for a few who knew where I was - I did a tour and a half in Iraq under the British Command from 2004 to 2005. During my time, I was stationed at all of the British and Multi-National bases under the command of the British Forces throughout Southern Iraq. I've been back for a year now.

[fusilier23]

The main issue here, I think, is sloppy reporting, not anything Katherine herself did or didn't do. I myself knew that there were only 8,000-9,000 British troops total in Iraq, and the odds they'd all be there to hear KJ, as much as they probably all would have like to, were very small. But the reporters also know how to jazz up a story, and of course the idea that this lovely lady would fly into Iraq around Christmas to perform for less-privileged soldiers sounds great, even if she wasn't in any real danger, and I never believed she was or would be.

Yes, it was a publicity stunt, but I still applaud Katherine for donating her time, which she didn't have to do, especially not at Christmas.

I'd applaud her still more, though, if she had visited the wounded soldiers, both there and at home. It's relatively easy to do a concert, even in a far-off location, and it's easy to stick a version of "Rule Britannia" or "Jerusalem" at the end of a program. It's even relatively easy to honor the fallen with a wreath or somesuch, for there is nothing particularly difficult about going to a manicured field with clean marble slabs marking the resting place of those whose sacrifices are over. It isn't as easy trying to bring some good cheer by getting up close and personal with those who have been blinded, maimed, or disfigured, and who give their sacrifices each day.

[Dave]

chrisw said:

I don't mean for this to be a negative statement, but the press she has received from her quick trip to Iraq is, in my opinion, far more than is deserved

Hi Chris, good to see you on here again!

What you said is pretty much how i saw it - yes it was hyped up and it's so sad that this - spin I guess - is so prevalent these days. Especially when anything touching on government policy is involved.

Not many popular singers would turn down such an opportunity though - more publicity means more album sales and that's a fact. But I'm sure that most of the armed forces who witnessed her performance(s?) were very glad to get some live entertainment, too.

I don't criticise Katherine in any way for jumping at the opportunity but as you say, it was certainly over-hyped in the media, who seemed to write what they thought the public would like to hear at Christmas, rather than presenting accurate information. Nothing unusual there then!

Cheers, Dave

[gareth]

From all accounts, for Katherine personally this whole thing was a step in the dark.

I personally think that Katherine herself didn't know all that much about what she was getting into - and that she (and her mum) felt she was moving into a potentially dangerous situation.

There have been a few "not so public" "Google-shy" resources (a little less obvious than BBC or ICWales) which have given a more personal insight. I have no reason to doubt both Katherine and her mum's integrity when they expressed genuine apprehension about Katherine venturing to Iraq.

As far as a publicity "stunt", I classify it in the same category as Hayley's visit to Ghana.

I also question the statement that the whole thing was hyped up - up till now, all of Katherine's fans have only been able to dig up just over two minutes of TV news recordings about the event. Where's the hype? If there's an argument for presenting accurate information, we should als be accurate when talking about hypes when none exist.

Katherine has expressed in public that she wanted to go to Iraq to do something for the troops at Christmas. I am very uncomfortable with the suggestion that Katherine jumped at the opportunity to use this event for personal profit. Katherine has struck me as a very sincere and caring personality - and if she says that her aim is to do something for the troops, then that's just what she wanted to do. I personally am convinced that the idea of personal profit was far removed from Katherine's mind when she agreed to go there. (Just as I think that the idea of personal profit was far removed from Hayley's mind when she agreed to go to Ghana.)

Frankly, despite protestations to the contrary about not wanting to be negative - this thread has turned into an unwarranted negative slight upon the reasons why Katherine decided to go to Iraq. It suggests commercial reasons only. And moreover, I see no conceivable reason why this thread should have been turned in this direction.

Good on you, Katherine, for going there. As far as I am concerned, you have done very well indeed. Needless to say, Chris, that in my view she deserved far more press for it than she ever got. You are a trained military officer - Katherine is not. You know a lot about what is going on - Katherine does not. And even if she had been told, it would not have been from personal experience, and it could not have taken away from the obvious apprehension she felt about going there.

Thanks,

Gerrit

[fusilier23]

Sorry about that, Gerrit, I didn't mean to cheapen Katherine's donation of her time here. We are all very appreciative that she took time out to entertain Her Majesty's soldiers, and I think she did take time out the one time to say hello to three soldiers who had won the Military Cross before a rugby match. What I'm really saying is that I hope she expands this role as "forces sweetheart" for it is a role worth expanding.