The bonds formed by the men and women who serve together in America’s armed forces often last a lifetime. Former Sgt. Daniel Jens, former Cpt. Meredith Melcher, retired Staff Sgt. Ron Henry and former Sgt. David Clemo all returned home and discovered they shared a love for something besides their country.
Jens, Melcher, Henry and Clemo were brought together last December to form pop, country and patriotic quartet 4Troops by Army veteran Victor Hurtado, who serves as the production director for the Army Soldier Show (a job originated by Irving Berlin), which provides entertainment for soliders and their families.
The group released its debut album, which includes tracks that range in tone from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” to Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” last month. The quartet has has been running the press gauntlet ever since, inspiring audiences from CBS’ “Early Show” to ABC’s “Nightline” and “The Laura Ingraham Show” to the iconic Voice of America broadcasting network.
The key to 4Troops’ success seems to be their philosophy of leaving the politics to politicians.
“We are not concerned about the politics,” Henry, who started his 20-year military career in the infantry, told the Associated Press. “We just want to focus on the service members and their families who have paid a great price.”
The group’s forthright mission and unquestionable talent are helping to spread its message and music like a prairie wildfire.
4Troops upcoming tour, which kicks off June 12 at the Norfolk Harborfest in the Virginia city’s Town Point Park, now has dates on the books across the country through the end of the year from Orange Park, Fla., to Fresno, Calif., to Torrington, Conn., and every place in between.
You can find out more about the group, including how their separate paths brought them together, at 4TroopsMusic.com.
Here’s a clip of 4Troops performing “Bless The Broken Road” aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid.