News
Tillis appears with Spirit of America
By Michael Shinabery/Staff Writer
July 19, 2005

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE ・When terrorists struck the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, Americans reacted. Some grieved deaths of loved ones. Others committed to fight the War on Terror by joining a military service.

Robert Rosenthal, a retired lawyer spending his days playing Internet backgammon in his Studio City, Calif., home, got a brainchild.  He wanted to do something for the military, he said.

The Spirit of America Tour was born.  The seed of Rosenthal's idea came from his wife's World War II experiences. She was English. In London she lived through the Nazi Blitzkrieg. Yet other, better memories punctuated her recollection of the wartime horrors.

In her neighborhood (American) soldiers used to come by, Rosenthal said.

Armed with his Spirit of America concept, Rosenthal approached the secretary of defense. One night in Alaska, after the fourth concert, someone suggested he go country. The musical genre is one of the few that is truly American. With roots in the same ground as gospel and the blues, tunes pine for loved ones but also speak of hope. The idea clicked with audiences.
He went back to the Department of Defense and said, "This is how we'e going to do it," Rosenthal said.

Since 2002, the Spirit of America Tour has staged 57 post-9/11 concerts at military bases nationwide. One was on Monday in Otero County. Country star Pam Tillis came to Holloman Air Force Base.

Pam Tillis serenades an airman.

Rosenthal brings stars to the soldiers. The tour pays the acts expenses, but the stars volunteer their time and talent.

Most of our people are Nashville entertainers. Their agents say, "hey, this is a good idea," Rosenthal said. We make a very simple statement; that is, we will do the shows as long as the military wants us to.  

Rosenthal is no stranger to entertainment. He once owned a radio station in China Lake, Calif. Before law school he was an award-winning U.S. Army filmmaker, then produced, directed and wrote for Paramount Studios. His creativity is evident in his quick wit. Asked by a reporter on Monday how Tillis got to Holloman, "Image Name Action" he said with a grin and without pause.

Pam Tillis' guitarist