FISHER HOUSE - HELPING MILITARY FAMILIES

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Now with nearly 1,000 cable television stations only a click or two away on your TV remote, you probably can catch a bit of the magic that KISS and star performer Gene Simmons created for hordes of Americans 35-years ago. Of course, you can rediscover the music that made stars out of the demon painted face of Simmons and his fellow KISS musicians on your local classic rock radio station. Fortunately for today’s generation—and the last generation—YouTube and other social and traditional media won’t let you down as you cobble together what you missed before you were a twinkle in your daddy’s eye.

For the over 40 somethings who know the songs, the band, and the persona, last week’s Fort Hood visit by Simmons was special. For the younger Soldiers at Fort Hood’s Warrior Transition Battalion (WTB), they too got to see an unmasked Simmons as he and his long-time partner and actress Shannon Tweed, brought another act to the Texas Hill Country.

It wasn’t the face painted persona and exploding stage show or the songs of yesterday that garnered all the excitement, but it was Simmons’s cable television show, “Family Jewels.” Simmons and KISS still tour around the country, but his Fort Hood trip wasn’t about the music, it was about the troops.

Now a cable icon, Simmons’ and his “Family Jewels” reality TV production team spent four days at Fort Hood with deploying Soldiers/Families and Warriors in Transition (WTs) from the WTB.

For an old rocker rising at zero dark thirty for Physical Training (PT) with a bunch of young troops from the WTB’s A Company, 1st Battalion, a two hour workout might not seem to be a priority. However, PT with WTs was high on Simmons to-do list while at Fort Hood. He and Tweed also sat down with three WTs for interviews that likely will become part of a future show. The heartfelt conversations focused on why they serve, their injuries, and of course their Families.

A second segment was shot during an “Aces and Angels” event hosted by Simmons. Several WTB Soldiers participated after Simmons extended them invitations to the Dallas event.

Simons and Tweed stayed busy throughout their visit. They met troops, attended deployment ceremonies, ate Army chow and visited the volunteers at the United Services Organization. They even made time to put lead on target at the firing range. Simmons wanted to see up close and personal how Soldiers train and what their days are like.

Program producers explained that that the Fort Hood episode will likely air in late June or early July.

Soldiers quickly learned that underneath the mask is a man eternally grateful for America’s sons and daughters who put on the uniform and volunteer to fight and sometimes offer up the ultimate sacrifice for those freedoms.

Long a friend of the American Soldier, Simmons is the son of a Jewish concentration camp survivor and immigrant. He came to the United States as a young boy and recently explained to the Fort Hood Sentinel, “If it weren’t for the American military I would not be here today. The American military has always meant the world to me. You can love the military as an ideal, but for me it was survival,” he said.

For nearly a decade, Simmons has been an ardent advocate of troops fighting the war on terrorism. He also puts his money where his mouth is by supporting the Fisher House Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Project. Simmons continues to personally raise money for wounded warriors.

He’s even brought his KISS buddies along in his fundraising endeavors. During the band’s last tour, a dollar from each ticket sold was donated to wounded warrior causes.

“Every one of our concerts is dedicated to our heroes,” he said. “The most impressive thing is looking into the eyes of young people who believe in an ideal and an idea. It’s called America.”

Next time you hear a KISS tune on the radio or see a vintage MTV video featuring the band, think a minute about the man behind the music, behind the mask who supports wounded warriors, Soldiers, and Families.

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