Celeb Holiday Visits Boost Troop Morale

R. Kelly hosted a pre-Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday night for 200 soldiers who are currently under care at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. The feast was held at Washington's Constitution Hall. Later, the soldiers were guests to his concert.

"There's nothing worse than being away from your loved ones at the holidays," Kelly said in a statement. "This is my way of saying thank you to all the brave men and women who have given up so much in order to protect us. It's their sacrifices that allow us to sleep comfortably at night and send our children off to school in the morning."

Kelly has been expressing support for the troops for years. In 2003, he performed a free concert at Ft. Hood, Texas. He also released the single “Soldier's Heart,” which was seen as an anthem for those deployed to Iraq. Proceeds from the song went to support the families of soldiers.

Another celeb, David Beckham (along with wife, Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham), traveled to Germany to meet with American soldiers stationed in the country. According to UK's Daily Mail, the soccer star, along with members of the LA Galaxy, visited US troops at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in West Germany this week. Beckham also invited 25,000 soldiers to a match pitting the Galaxy against the German soccer team, Kaiserslautern FC, at the Fritz Walter Stadium in Kaiserslautern.

Photo courtesy of xybermatthew, via Flickr