SCHWEINFURT, Germany -- The I. A.M. STRONG tour performed March 18 at U.S. Army Garrison Schweinfurt.
The event was packed with nearly 300 people while many Soldiers traveled far distances to attend the concert and the meet-and-greet earlier that day.
Recording artist Jones, hip-hop band Animate Objects, select comedians and Soldier performers united for the Army's I. A.M. STRONG campaign to combat sexual assaults and harassment among Soldiers and military family members.
By joining the I.A.M.STRONG tour, Jones not only promoted its message, she has also followed her very own family tradition of military entertainment. Following the footsteps of her grandfather, who played in a military band, and her parents, who once toured Europe with USO, she believed it was her turn to perform for Soldiers and family members in Germany and Italy.
"I am happy to be able do something for these brave men and women, who do so much for us. I am very proud to be part of the I. A.M STRONG Tour," Jones said.
"I hope many more celebrities will be performing on tours for the military," she said, appealing to other entertainment stars to also participate in military tours. "I think there's no better way to use your popularity than for a good cause and I can't imagine anyone more deserving people, than our military members and families."
"The tour is going really great," said Maggie Vagle, member of the hip-hop band, Animate Objects, emphasizing how impressed she was by the Soldiers and family members she met during the tour. "It has been wonderful to go to all these different installations and meeting the Soldiers. These are probably the most polite people I have ever met."
Besides her great admiration for the Soldiers and family members mastering the challenges of military life, Lakeisha Taylor, background singer for Jones during this tour and former contestant of American Idol, is also especially touched by the I.A.M. STRONG message.
"I have been performing for years, but having this message and purpose behind the tour, makes it a different way of performing for me. You can feel our message, and how important it is, because it affects all of us, not just the Soldiers, also civilians, just everybody," explained Taylor, who expressed appreciation for her fellow artists, especially the Soldier performers.
"The Soldiers that are touring with us are performing a rap song and a poem. They are really bringing this message across to the audience and we have learned so much from them during our tour. They are absolutely incredible," Taylor said.
The musicians and comedians were accompanied by Sgt. Anthony Profit, vice president of Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and Sgt. Danny Bullock, president of BOSS in Ansbach, Germany.
After researching the Army's Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program along with incident reports connected to the program, Profit pulled facts from these reports to create a spoken word act, including a poem, illustrating examples of how sexual assault can happen and how it affects the victims.
Bullock performed a rap song he wrote himself. His song stressed the message of the I.A.M.STRONG campaign, raising awareness about the prevention of sexual assault and harassment among Soldiers and military family members.
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