Cher Video Features Serviceman’s Letter

A letter written by Army Pfc. Alex Porter of Camarillo to comfort his parents before his deployment to Saudi Arabia last month may soon become the letter heard ‘round the world.

After hearing a recording in which an emotional Clo Porter read her son’s letter on KABC Talk Radio two weeks ago, Cher invited Porter’s parents and 19-year-old sister to appear in “Cher’s Video Canteen,” a special two-hour music video scheduled to be broadcast worldwide on Armed Forces Television and Radio later this month, said Barbie Barna, the video’s associate producer in New York.

The video will also be shown on the HV-1 music video channel March 2.

In a segment dedicated to the American troops in the Persian Gulf, Clo Porter reads the letter in which her son explains why he volunteered to serve in the military, Barna said.

A photo montage of servicemen and women, including Porter, concludes the piece. After receiving a brief telephone call from her son at dawn Jan. 25, Clo Porter said she was shocked to learn of the attention his letter has received from the media. She said her son doesn’t know about the video.

Referring to the impact of her son’s letter, Clo Porter said: “I’m not trying to canonize my son. He just happened to write down what many of the servicemen and women feel.”