Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, left, thanks the audience for their support of the troops as he takes the stage of the Grand Ole Opry with host Dolly Parton in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 23, 2005. (AP Photo/John Russell)
NASHVILLE (AP) — As members of the U.S. military watched on television via satellite from Iraq, Dolly Parton invited their boss, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld onstage at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday.
The audience applauded as Rumsfeld took the stage and thanked the troops serving in the military.
As people entered the auditorium for Saturday’s show they were given postcards with “America supports you,” printed on them. Audience members waved the cards and shouted their support to the troops watching on television.
Rumsfeld was sitting in the front row of the audience as Parton sang her hit “Coat of Many Colors,” before he was introduced.
