West Virginia National Guard troops coming home on a plane after months overseas made a splash on social media in 2020 after breaking out into song while their plane was landing. Considering they landed in West Virginia from their deployment, there was really only one appropriate song choice -- John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Chandler McDaniel first posted the TikTok video when he and his fellow soldiers "landed back in West Virginia" following their time serving in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan. What a special moment for others on the plane to witness these soldiers on their way home after so many months away from loved ones. We can only imagine other passengers joined in singing along with the popular song.
Following an 11-month deployment, the soldiers broke out into a heartwarming acoustic cover of the classic country music song, proving to be the perfect welcome home after serving their country.
This video of troops with @WVNationalGuard is going viral. It shows them singing #CountryRoads as they flew back from an 11 month deployment. #WSAZ
Read more here: https://t.co/Maj2SFxcEr pic.twitter.com/PVt3U4lkYT
— Chad Hedrick (@ChadHedrickWKYT) March 8, 2020
"Country roads, take me home to the place I belong. West Virginia, mountain mama, take me home, country roads," they sang, performing the John Denver song in the video that has since been shared everywhere from YouTube to various news outlets. According to WSAZ, the soldiers were filmed singing the country song on a January 2020 flight home.
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"Take Me Home, Country Roads" has long been a nostalgic anthem after Denver first released it back in 1971. Despite finding inspiration for his future signature song in Maryland, the song has long become associated with West Virginia as well as being regarded as one of the most popular country songs of all time. Which is interesting since it wasn't an immediate hit, though it did eventually peak at #2 on the Billboard charts. Odds are if you ask someone about their classic country playlist, you'll find this John Denver song included.
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