Wounded troops to be honored at ACM Awards

LAS VEGAS, March 13 (UPI) -- Singer Trace Adkins is planning a special performance in honor of wounded U.S. troops at the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards show, CBS said.

The presentation is slated to take place April 5 in Las Vegas and to be broadcast live on the network.

In recognition of the Academy's re-branded charitable fund, ACM Lifting Lives, Adkins will perform his song, "Til the Last Shot's Fired," with the West Point Glee Club in support of Wounded Warrior Project, this year's Lifting Lives-selected charity. The performance will be dedicated to servicemen and women, some of whom will be seated in the front rows at the ceremony.

"The Academy of Country Music has changed the name of its charity to encompass all existing charitable giving and not just the charitable fund, which is our grant-giving program," Dennis Lord, chairman of the board for Lifting Lives, said in a statement. "We also wanted a name that explains our focus, namely, lifting people up through the power of music. Lifting Lives is a powerful, alliterative way of communicating our mission, and it speaks of our audacious plans for the future."

"It's a privilege to perform this song with such a distinguished choir for the great servicemen and women in whose honor it was written," added Adkins. "We should always let our military know how much we appreciate them putting their lives on the line for us every day."