Dolly Parton, the iconic country music singer, cultivated a special relationship with the U.S. military over her seven-decade career, a connection that has been highlighted by members of the military community following her death at 80.
Parton's distinctive image appeared on U.S. military aircraft, she performed for service members and their families, and recorded patriotic music. Her connection to the military was also personal, as her husband, Carl Dean, served in the Army for two years shortly after they began dating. They married in 1966 and remained together until his death.
Parton described her patriotism as having an "all-American heart." During a 1991 profile by Vanity Fair, she visited Fort Hood, Texas, where she met soldiers returning from the Persian Gulf. At the time, her likeness was featured on a KC-135 and an A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft during the Gulf War era. During her visit, Parton famously shouted a message to Saddam Hussein, stating, "Saddam Hussein, you son of a b—-! You touch one of my men again and see what happens!"
Service members at Fort Hood chanted "Dol-ly! U-S-A!" and she signed autographs for soldiers and their families.
In September 2004, Parton unveiled patriotic nose art bearing her likeness on a KC-135 Stratotanker at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in Tennessee. The aircraft was nicknamed "Miss Dolly." She also performed for airmen and their families.
The album "For God and Country," released on Veterans Day in 2003, featured patriotic standards and original Parton songs. Parton stated she was "not a bit political, but I'm extremely patriotic." Her earlier music also touched on themes of war; her 1970 song "Daddy Won't Be Home Anymore" dealt with a mother informing children of their father's death in combat.
In April 2005, Parton performed during a Grand Ole Opry live broadcast from Nashville, which U.S. troops in Iraq watched via video feed. Then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld joined Parton onstage to thank her and the American people for their support of U.S. troops.
Parton's support extended to military families through her Imagination Library program. In 2024, a Washington affiliate of the program partnered with the Government Employees Health Association to provide grants for free books to children in military families stationed at bases such as Naval Base Kitsap and Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Organizations like the Boot Campaign, which supports veterans and military families, have mourned Parton's passing, highlighting her "platform to support so many, including Veterans, military families and our work." The U.S. Marine Corps also shared a photo of Parton in camouflage attire with a simple farewell: "RIP Dolly Parton."
Parton's family has requested a private service and asked that donations in her memory be made to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.