Brynn Marie entertains students at Carmichaels Area Elementary School on Oct. 13, the day before she and her band left for Puerto Rico to perform two shows for U.S. troops.

CARMICHAELS - It was quite a busy week for country singer/songwriter and recording artist Brynn Marie.

The Carmichaels native just recently returned from an exciting five-day trip to Puerto Rico, where she and her band performed at two U.S. Coast Guard military bases for hundreds of stationed soldiers, as part of a special Armed Forces Entertainment (AFE) tour.

But that was not the only highlight of her week. Just hours before hopping on a 6 a.m. flight to Puerto Rico, Brynn Marie spent the afternoon entertaining hundreds of other people. Only this time, she was performing right in her own back yard.

Brynn Marie and two band mates - guitarist Ford Thurston and drummer Ryan Cirota, Brynn Marie's brother - visited Carmichaels Area Elementary School on Oct. 13 and performed acoustic song sets for more than 300 students in the school auditorium. She also talked to them about the upcoming Puerto Rico trip, and about what it meant for her to be playing for the troops.

"It was such an honor for me to be there and spend time with the students," said Brynn Marie, who was an elementary student at the same school in the 1990's. "I let them know that I was proudly representing them and the community of Carmichaels when I went to Puerto Rico."

While she was at the school, the students presented her with numerous letters, cards, banners and signs showing their appreciation to the troops, in the hopes that she would give them to the soldiers stationed in Puerto Rico. As she read through some of the letters, she beamed with patriotic pride.

"These letters are amazing," she said, a smile widening across her face. "It makes me proud to be an American, and proud to be representing this community. I want them to know that these kids may be from a small town but their hearts and their pride are huge.

"I'm proud of my roots and where I come from," she said. "It means a great deal to me to have so much support from my hometown."

The performers spent several hours at the school, even joining the students and faculty as they assembled at the school football stadium wearing red, white and blue T-shirts to "create" a large American flag in the stands. Aerial photographs were taken of the large patriotic display, which were also presented to troops.

"That was so cool for them to do that," Brynn Marie said, laughing. "I'm glad we spent time with them. It was a perfect sendoff for our Puerto Rico trip."

After an emotional and heartfelt afternoon, Brynn Marie was not ready to rest. She and several others - including Ryan Cirota, Ford Thurston, her brother Tony Cirota, her sister (and stylist) Jen Henry, sound engineer Peter Guellard and tour photographer Robert Livingston - embarked on a plane the next morning and traveled to Puerto Rico, stopping first in San Juan to perform on a military base on Oct. 16 and then to Aguadilla one day later for a second show.

This was not Brynn Marie's first AFE tour overseas. She and her band traveled to the Middle East last Christmas for several weeks as part of a special holiday tour. During the tour, she preformed on numerous military bases areas such as Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Djibouti.

Brynn Marie said the recent tour was a major contrast from her experiences in the Middle East.

"When we were in the Middle East, we were in many hostile environments," she said. "But in Puerto Rico, it was much more laid back. The military bases were more family-oriented, and soldiers were able to come to the performances with their children. And our itinerary was much more relaxed.

"But don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to tour in the Middle East. I will always remember that trip and the many soldiers we were honored to have met."

Brynn Marie said she and her band performed a wide variety of country and pop songs in Puerto Rico, ranging from her own original tunes to classic cover songs. And when they weren't performing, they spent a great deal of time talking to the soldiers and their families.

"That was the best part, meeting so many great people and hearing their stories," she recalled. "And the children were so wonderful. They were everywhere, and they really touched our hearts."

She shared a story about one little boy, a 7-year-old named Harrison, who made a lasting impression on the band when he approached the stage during a performance.

"He just walked up to me with no fear, and when I put him on the microphone and asked him if he wanted to say anything, he said, 'When I grow up I want to be a drummer, just like your brother,'" Brynn Marie said. "That really touched us, especially Ryan. In fact, after the show Ryan hung out with him and even taught him some drumming tips. That was such a big highlight of the trip."

Brynn also recalled the day her brother, Tony Cirota, was a hero.

"We were traveling from San Juan to Aquadilla for the next show when we got a flat tire," she recalled. "Being broken down on the side of the road was dangerous, so Tony decided he was going to change the tire himself. He did, and he got us to the show on time.

"My brother, the hero," she said with a laugh.

Brynn Marie stressed how important it was for her to experience this tour with her family. And her sister Jen shared the exact same sentiments.

"It was precious spending time with my siblings and the families who serve our country," Jen Henry said. "It is a memory that I will never forget."

Brynn Marie said she will always cherish the memories she made while in Puerto Rico, especially when she presented the Carmichaels students' letters and cards to them.

"It meant so much to them, and it was exciting to see that the kids wanted to start corresponding with the kids back home," she said. "And I was also thrilled when they told me they wanted me to come back in the near future to participate in some workshops for the kids. I might take them up on their offer."

Now that she is back home, Brynn Marie plans to resume her busy schedule of performing and writing in Nashville and continue her working relationship with a producer in Los Angeles.

But no matter where her career takes her, she will always have room in her heart for the men and women who continue to fight for our freedom.

"I love to perform anywhere, but there is something special about performing for our troops," she said. "I hope to tour overseas and entertain our troops again in the near future. I love it so much.

"If all I accomplish in my career is doing something that makes people happy, then it's absolutely worth it."