Miley & Billy Ray Cyrus Salute the Troops – With a Surprise

Hannah Montana stars Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus know how to plan a sneak attack: After inviting dozens of military families to fill the studio audience during the March 12 taping of the hit series, they surprised the audience by inviting them to take part in filming a concert scene for the show.

"My dad has always been super involved with the troops so [the producers] always try to find things that are close to our hearts and that we're really involved in," Miley, 17, told PEOPLE.

Adds Billy Ray, 48: "This past December I was in Afghanistan and Iraq and that trip inspired the writers to say let's do an episode to say thank you to the troops."

In between takes, all the kids in the studio audience – many of whom have parents who are deployed – were also given the chance to tape greetings to their moms and dads abroad.

"It's going to be a satellite thing where the troops can see their kids. It's really cool that they're having the opportunity to say hi to a mom or dad they haven't seen in a long time," Miley explains. "I think that's the coolest thing."

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