Billy Ray Cyrus has built his career around supporting the military and the troops. Now, he’s giving back with a special Veteran’s Day concert on the SiriusXM Patriot Channel.
The concert — featuring Billy Ray's acoustic versions of his songs, "Some Gave All," "I'm American," "Achy Breaky Heart" and "Nineteen," plus conversations with troops at Camp Pendleton — debuted this afternoon on the channel.
"When I see these young men… the troops that I've been with this year doing the homecoming show [and] the various USO tours that I've done… from Iraq to Afghanistan and all around the world, seeing our military, our men and women in uniform — that's why we live in the greatest land in all the world, the United States of America," he said in a statement.
"It's their service, their sacrifice, their family's sacrifice. One thing that I've seen over the past year is the children, the kids [and] their moms and dads that go away to serve our country. That foundation is the core of this great country that we live in, and it truly is a real honor to be in their presence."
His daughter, Miley Cyrus, wanted to be there to surprise the Lance Corporal who asked her to the Marine Corps Ball during the recent flurry of celebrity invites. She couldn't attend, but she called in with a special message.
"I am so bummed that I can't be there, I would have loved to meet you," Cyrus told the surprised Marine, Ian Hart. "I want to thank you for everything that you do and for keeping everybody safe… you are heroes to a lot of people and it was a big honor that you asked me… thank you so much."
Billy Ray stepped it up a notch with an invite to the family's home for a special date. "Maybe you guys could come up to Toluca Lake and join us for dinner or lunch."