It can never be forgotten that our time in Sing-Out South (1966-1971)was also the period during which our nation was at war in Vietnam. Many songs in our show were strongly patriotic (such as WE ARE WITH YOU, MR. WASHINGTON) and that often put us in the midst of criticism and controversy for supporting an increasingly unpopular war. The idea of supporting the troops, even if you had questions about the war itself, was not a well-known or popular concept in those days.
Not surprisingly, the casts of Up With People and Sing-Out South were frequently asked to perform at military bases around the country. For SOS that meant traveling up to Ft. Campbell, an army installation that is located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennesse border.
Ft. Campbell was a very busy place in those days. In July, 1965 the 1st Brigade of the resident 101st Airborne Division was sent for duty in Vietnam, and as hostilities increased, the rest of the division was deployed. Meantime, on May 2, 1966, a Basic Combat Training Center (for draftees) was established at Fort Campbell. By July 11 of that year it already had a full complement of 1,100 trainees. It was these soliders in training that we in Sing Out South entertained from time to time. The Training Center was deactivated in April of 1972....
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This photo (which is of me) probably only made the troops laugh.
This was taken right before my last show in Sing-Out South in the fall of 1969. I came up to do the performance at Ft. Campbell right before I started my classes in college. Our run of the show that day (and the reason for me wearing that uniform)included a song that always got a great reception from the troops. It was "THE FIGHTIN' NINTH INFANTRY" as performed here by Frank Fields and Up With People....
As much as I always thought that song got a great reception, especially at Ft. Campbell, what really got the trainees all stirred up is a plain as the picture below....
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Our SOS cast (and all the national casts of Up With People) were always full of many attractive young ladies. These new troops had probably not seen any women at all during their entire time of training. So, not surprisingly, they were the stars of our show. Did the troops even hear our songs and our message? I think so, but they still liked seeing the ladies better, I am sure.
Any former SOS or UWP female cast members please feel free to leave your thoughts and memories below from touring and performing at bases like Fort Campbell.
In my two years of traveling, the most meaningful performances for me were the military posts. They were the most receptive and appreciative men and women. It was a joy to perform for them and 'give back'.
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