Two Sides Of A Story

There are two groups of people that really make the annual Country For Our Country (C4C) event work every year: The entertainers that put on the best show they can to help and raise money for Wounded Warriors from East Texas, and the Wounded Warriors themselves. They are the “Country” and the “Country,” and without either one, C4C would not have been able to grow into the the successful and continually improving fundraising effort that it is today.It’s hard to tell if the event's founders and organizers, Paul and Mary Pennington, could’ve seen what C4C would become in such a short time. But, knowing Mary, thousands in attendance and thousands more dollars raised isn’t even close to the high hopes she has for it. It’s a cause that’s been embraced wholeheartedly by a part of Texas that’s long been known to support the military. With C4C, people have a very direct, very tangible way to give back to the men and women who sacrificed so much when they come back.

As we come upon the third installment of the event, BSCENE had the chance to talk one-on-one with the headliner from this year’s show, Sara Evans, and one of the servicemen that serve as the original motivation for the whole thing in the first place, Andy Burnett, a former medic in the U.S. Army. These two took wildly different paths in getting to the Villa di Felictiá on Sept. 24, 2011, there’s no doubt about it. But, once they’re both there, and the lights come up on the stage, the lots are set out on the auction blocks and the music starts playing – you can bet your last dollar that they both want the exact same result: a fantastic show that raises a record amount for the men and women who gave everything they could to the United States of America and to all of us.BSCENE caught Evans on a pretty odd day, in fact. All her kids were home, school having been canceled for the day due to flooding. And, about 10 minutes before she called us, Evans found out she’d been nominated for CMA Awards for Single and Female Vocalist. Combined with the fact that both her Alabama Crimson Tide and Missouri Tigers had won over the weekend, Evans was in high spirits: “As soon as I get off the phone, we’re going to celebrate,” she said. “Probably with scrambled eggs.”

Evans has always been involved heavily in philanthropic work. A quick search reveals years spent as the celebrity representative for the American Red Cross, as well as multiple performances on at Shawn Hannity’s Freedom Concerts. However, what’s a little bit surprising is that Evans has no personal ties at all to the military.“You know, I don’t have any experience with [family or close friends in the military],” Evans said. “I’ve got two older brothers: one is in my band, the other is a husband and a father that works for State Farm in Missouri. My father wasn’t in the military or in Vietnam and neither of my grandparents were ever drafted or served, either.”

Now, it’s probably more common for someone who has had a very intimate experience with a struggle to join in that particular fight. But, for Evans, she sees it as almost a duty – one she cares about passionately.“I’m very, very patriotic and always have been,” she related. “I’m totally, all about America, and I have a son and three stepsons, and I just cannot imagine one of them being willing to make that sacrifice, leaving the family and leaving home, and putting themselves in harm’s way – possibly dying for this country and for freedom, all over the world. Those young men are so incredibly brave, and their families are incredibly brave. They just sacrifice so much.”

Evans is truly inspired by what our soldiers choose to give for us and for one another. So, playing concerts and giving her time and voice is a gift that she is able to both give and receive. “I feel like sometimes people, especially in this day and time, take America for granted. Consider the unbelievable debt we have now, we as Americans think that we are strong just because. We forget the reasons we are strong. One of the biggest reasons is because we have such an amazing military force all over the world, and we cannot let that go. I think people take for granted that we’re the most powerful country in the world and we always will be. Amercians sometimes forget what it really takes to be that.”Evans thoughts echo those of everyone who has not been called serve on active duty, but still feels the need to do whatever they can to support those who do. Not everyone is able to travel overseas and to fight. However, with Country For Our Country, there is a need for everyone to do what they can. For Sara Evans, that’s taking time away from touring, her family, her career and coming to East Texas to put on a show to do as much good as she can. Not everyone can fight overseas, and not everyone can sing like Sara. But we can all do something.

Andy Burnett was doing his job when he got shot. “Contrary to popular opinion, medics still get hurt,” said Burnett over lunch. “And it’s usually for doing something they aren’t supposed to be doing.” When Burnett was hurt, he was six days away from finishing up a 15-month deployment in Afghanistan. “I was supposed to be sitting in my heavily fortified aide station, watching a movie or something.” said Burnett. “But, I knew we were about to get hit again, and when you know it’s coming, you just try to prepare as much as you can, and that’s what I was doing. I went out and got into a tower. If someone is going to get hurt, that’s probably where it’s going to be. It just so happened it was me. But, you can’t predict those things. I’ve done my fair share of ‘what ifs.’ But, you just gotta deal with it and move on. I don’t know how many times I thought ‘why didn’t you just sit in your aide station.’ But, if I was just sitting in my aide station, I wouldn’t have been doing my job. I had about 30 guys I was responsible for getting home alive. Sitting in my aide station waiting on one of them to get hurt and doing cleanup work? That’s not my idea of being a good medic.”Burnett was hit in the neck – shattering and fracturing three vertebrae – by the equivalent of a .50 calibre round that left him without the use of his legs. For the next month, which Burnett said he only “remembers patches of,” he made his way from Afghanistan back to Germany, then back to Walter Reed Hospital and on to New Orleans for rehab. When he made it back to Tyler, in the spring of 2009, he was doing some work at the National Guard Armory when he met Gen. Red Brown, one of the original C4C board members.

“That was actually the night they were having the kickoff party for the first C4C on Lake Tyler,” Burnett said. “ I thought it would be a little get together … and I was surprised. From then until about the middle of 2010 I was lightly involved with the event, and I just kept in contact with Paul and Mary Pennington. Around then, Mary asked me if I wanted to get a little more involved.”

Burnett said he’s had his share of run-ins with non-profit organizations that, though they do a lot of good, aren’t quite what they make themselves out to be. He had no such fear about jumping onboard with C4C. “because of the heart that I know Mary and Paul both have, they gave me an opportunity to participate, and made me feel good about participating ... I still wanted to help guys that are in my spot, but I don’t have the life education or education experience to be able to do that … yet.” Burnett is currently pursuing his degree, (likely in psychology) in aims of working with veterans upon their return. “So, when they gave me the opportunity to start getting involved a little more, I jumped at it. It gave me the chance to help men and women who were hurt physically or mentally or whatever the case may be.”

Burnett said C4C encourages him to look toward the future – to get out of bed in the morning and go to school because staying in bed is good in the present, but “that doesn’t do anything for you in the future that needs to be done … and honestly, they give me the opportunity to contribute to society, and that’s probably the biggest thing they could give me. They might give me every penny in the bank and it still wouldn’t do anything. But they encourage me and others, and I don’t see that changing. Mary told me when she first met me, ‘you’re not going to get rid of me very easily.’ And you don’t – and that’s a good thing.”

This year, on Sept. 24, mark down on your calendars to be at the Villa di Felicita for the Third Annual Country For Our Country benefit concert. BSCENE will be there. Sara Evans will be there. Andy Burnett will be there too. And, there’ll be plenty more men, women, children and families that need all of our support – whether it’s in a song, in your checkbook, in your talents or in your sacrifices. Country For Our Country has come a long way in three years, but the soul of why it was founded remains steady and unchanged. When they come back, we give back … and here’s your chance.