Hootie and the Blowfish Surprise Troops at Appreciation Celebration in N.C.

Hootie and the Blowfish Surprise Troops at Appreciation Celebration in N.C.

WASHINGTON, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Hootie and the Blowfish performed at a surprise USO show for members of the National Guard's 30th Brigade Combat Team, just back from Iraq, during a statewide celebration in Raleigh, N.C., June 25. The State of North Carolina, the National Guard, the RBC Center, the Centennial Authority and the USO hosted a day of appreciation for 3,500 troops, who served more than 12 months in Iraq. The members of the band, who are USO tour veterans, have a long-standing commitment to supporting our men and women in uniform.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031119/USO )

The National Guard's 30th Brigade Combat Team were stationed near Baghdad and provided both security and reconstruction assistance. They were among the first units to rotate into the "front lines" to provide relief for other service men and women.

The celebration included games, music, presentations and activities for the entire family. Government officials and senior military leaders were on hand to salute the troops. The event venue, the RBC Center, was donated by the Centennial Authority and attracted more than 10,000 people. The USO of North Carolina provided on-site assistance to service members and their families.

The South Carolina-based quartet has participated on three USO tours, visiting troops in Hungary, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia and Japan. The group hit it big in 1995, when their first single, "Hold My Hand," burst into the Top 10. They went on to record several more successful albums and eventually sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Hootie and the Blowfish will release their newest album, "Looking for Luck," on August 9. A follow-up to 2003's self-titled release, this project is the band's debut on Vanguard Records. The band will spend the summer touring the country playing their time-tested hits and new material.

About the USO: For more than 64 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has been providing morale and recreation-type services to U.S. military personnel and their families. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of the American people to support its programs and services. The USO is supported by World Partners Anheuser-Busch Companies, AT&T Corporation, Avon Products, Inc., BAE SYSTEMS, Bass Pro Shops, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Computer Systems Center, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Military Channel, Morgan Stanley, National Football League, TriWest Healthcare Alliance. Other organizations, including the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-0600), have joined thousands of individual donors to support the USO. For more information on the USO, please visit our Web site at http://www.uso.org/.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031119/USO AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: USO

CONTACT: Erica McClanahan Stone of USO, +1-703-908-6471, or estone@uso.org

Web site: http://www.uso.org/

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