Toby Keith declined to allow his daughter to participate in USO tours: "He assumed the role of a father."

Throughout his illustrious career, Toby Keith supported the United Service Organizations (USO) and entertained more than 250,000 service members worldwide in 18 USO tours.

The singer practiced what he preached when it came to his patriotism and took his job seriously when asked to lift the spirits of military members in active war zones.

Krystal Keith, Toby's daughter, revealed to Planet Chronicle Digital that despite her father's eagerness to allow her to perform with him on stage, he refused to let her join him on any USO tours.

"Krystal pleaded to go, but it was a risky endeavor. Her father went into "dad mode" and explained that the work he was doing was crucial and not something that would put her in danger."

As she became an artist, she thought, "I want to go do those things," but he still felt strongly about his daughter's safety, knowing how important it was for him. Despite his experience with being shot and his helicopters being targeted by mortar fire, he remained firm in his decision to prevent his daughter from going to Afghanistan at that time.

In April 2008, at a base in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Keith performed his song "Weed with Willie" for approximately 2,500 soldiers. However, mortar fire caused a panic and the crowd, including Keith, had to rush to a nearby concrete bunker for safety, spending about an hour there.

"I begged to go, but it was such a dangerous thing. He went into, like, dad mode." — Krystal Keith

Toby, the "Red Solo Cup" singer, signed autographs and posed for pictures with troops while underground. After the scare, he returned to the stage and completed the show. Toby has previously experienced mortar fire during a USO tour.

"Krystal recounted how she discovered a picture of her dad in an underground bunker, which had a signed message on concrete that read, "I'm in the middle of a show and some idiot set off some fireworks during my show," and was dated due to the mortar fire they were taking on."

She recalled his joke was about "fireworks being impolite during my performance."

She said, "I found it really special to discover that, but I know he loved USO tours. I wish I could have joined him on some of those tours."

Toby Keith's daughter pleaded to accompany him on USO tours.

"I could either secretly sing background vocals on a song or perform the anthem before he went on stage. After releasing my album, we became the opening band for several tours."

Krystal's dad imparted words of wisdom in his own "Toby Keith" style when she forged her own path in the music industry.

Krystal recalled that he never gave orders or restrictions, instead he offered advice and allowed her to make her own decisions. He rarely imposed his ideas on her and instead encouraged her to lead the way she wanted.

"When I was stuck and needed advice or a push, I would go to him and ask, "What do you think about this song?" and he would give me his advice."

On Wednesday, Krystal will appear in the television special "Toby Keith: American Idol," which honors the late country star who passed away on Feb. 5 after a long battle with cancer.

Toby Keith readied his daughter for a career in the music industry.

"He never said, 'Don't do this or don't do that.' He was like, 'You can do whatever you want to do, but here's my advice on it, and you can take it or leave it.' And he really let me carve my own path." — Krystal Keith

Since giving birth to her youngest daughter, she had not been on stage before, and her performance was "bittersweet" and filled with "pressure."

"Krystal shared that she took time off with her and then Covid hit, and then her father became sick, so she hasn't been back on the road since 2019. She also revealed that she didn't choose the song, but was asked to perform it, and struggled with whether or not she would be able to get through it. She said, "If I can get through it without crying and get all the words right, then I will be proud of myself and that's all I need.""

I hope everyone enjoys it. I think it was an honor to be on that stage with all those people. She added, 'I think he would be proud.'

On August 28th, NBC will broadcast a two-hour concert featuring Toby Keith, along with Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Jelly Roll, Eric Church, and Lainey Wilson.