Rodeo Salutes Our Troops

HOUSTON - Stars and stripes outshine Stetsons and belt buckles at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

The second annual salute our troops event is taking place Wednesday at the rodeo.

Sixteen hundred servicemen and women and their families made reservations to attend the celebration. That’s a big jump from last year when only 500 showed up.

The military families enjoyed a day of music, private dinners and donated seats for Wednesday night’s Gary Allan concert.

Also scheduled to sing is country singer Keni Thomas, a former military man who fought in the 1993 battle of Mogadishu.

The 18-hour gunfight was the basis for the movie Blackhawk Down.