"It's really not about the war with us.  It's about the warrior."

These are the heartfelt words of someone who knows what he's talking about:  Former Sgt. Daniel Jens, who was inspired to join the Army and serve his country after the events of 9/11 and is now one-fourth of the new singing group 4TROOPS.

"We're singing on behalf of all veterans, active service members and their families, and supporting our rights and our freedoms," adds Jens.  "We want to be able to stand in the gap to create awareness so that [people] know what our military and family members go through.  We want to be ambassadors for that."

The four United States combat veterans came together just last December to begin a new career in music, and their self-titled debut releases May 11 during Armed Forces Week, which honors Americans serving in all five military branches (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard).

"I really believe this is a divine calling for all four of us," adds Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Ron Henry, who had a twenty-year career in the Army.  "People can't believe we've only been together since [last winter].  They think we've been together for years."

While it is quite remarkable that 4TROOPS has achieved such a harmonious blend in such a short amount of time, credit is also due in part to the one who brought them together:  Victor Hurtado, himself a veteran who has been part of Army Entertainment for the last 25 years and is currently the Production Director for the Army Solider Show (established during WWI by Irving Berlin).

In addition to Jens and Henry, 4TROOPS includes Former Cpt. Meredith Melcher, who served four years in the Army in the Medical Service Corps, as well as Former Sgt. David Clemo, who initially deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11 and then to Iraq in 2004 where he was a team chief for communications and fiber optic cable installations. 

As veterans who know what it's like to put their lives on the line, be away from family and make sacrifices for their country, 4TROOPS is uniquely qualified to identify with those for whom they sing.

"I have to say that the most important thing that helped me through [my service] is my relationship with God," shares Henry. 

"And I really want to echo that," adds Jens.  "If it wasn't for my strong faith in God, I don't know how I would have made it.  You know, when you're out there in the combat zone constantly surrounded by danger—a mortar could drop or a rocket could come at any time—if you let that fear consume you, it could cost you or your buddies their lives.  So I had to completely surrender to God in order for him to work in my life and take away that fear."

Though 4TROOPS might be new on the civilian music scene, each of the group's members brings a rich history of singing experience and performance credentials to the fore.

While in the Army, Jens sang at Prayer Breakfasts and Talent Nights at the U.S. Embassy.  Upon his return, he placed 11^th on season three of NBC's America's Got Talent.  Henry competed on the first season of Military Idol (now called Operation Rising Star) and also lead the successful Army singing group "Transportation Express."  Melcher was in the 2004 cast of the U.S. Army Soldier Show and performed for audiences of military personnel and civilians worldwide, while Clemo spent a number of years as Assistant Director of the U.S. Army Solider Show touring and entertaining fellow soldiers and their families. 

"We fit together as a family," explains Jens of 4TROOPS' bond.  "And that's how the military is.  A lot of times you go from one unit to another and you have to make it work because you always put the mission first.  And with us, this very important mission about raising awareness [for the troops] comes before us."