Mariah Carey sang her hit “Hero” yesterday (Dec. 4) for U.S. peacekeepers at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, who snapped pictures of the star, clapped and cheered, and joined her in singing. Many of the soldiers held up pictures of the entertainer, who first appeared in a glittering white dress, then changed to a blue one before donning an all-red outfit. Others in the NATO-led force held aloft U.S. flags and sang along, while some snapped pictures of Carey.
Staff Sgt. Jerry Jerome, 31, of Columbus, Ind., who has spent a little more than a month in Kosovo, said: “After Sept. 11, [our] way of life was infringed upon, and she is here thanking us for what we do and that’s why it has meaning.”
The commander of the U.S. troops in Kosovo, Brig. Gen. Keith Huber, introduced the singer. Carey then kicked off her one-hour show blowing a kiss to the soldiers, and ended it by signing her pictures for the troops.
“I have such an appreciation for what you are doing for our country and appreciation for the fact that not everybody does what you do,” she told the peacekeepers.
She then dedicated a song to them — a combination of her previous hit “Hero” and “Never Too Far,” a song she wrote for her movie, “Glitter.” “Remember that when you are out here freezing,” she told the soldiers. “Know that everybody [at] home loves you.” Virgin Records will on Tuesday (Dec. 11) release the two songs on a commercial single.
Carey’s concert was organized by the United Service Organizations (USO) and Armed Forces Entertainment. Other stars, including Salma Hayek, have visited the camp.
As previously reported, MTV is teaming up with the USO to produce the 90-minute holiday televised concert “For the Troops: An MTV/USO Special,” set to air Jan. 1 in the U.S. Hosted by Carson Daly, that show will feature performances by Jennifer Lopez, Kid Rock, and Ja Rule at an undisclosed overseas U.S. military base.
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