YouTube.com/Daughtry

An appearance by American Idol alum Chris Daughtry on the morning show Fox & Friends has triggered backlash and a videotaped apology by the singer.

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The season-five finalist had performed as part of the program's All-American Summer Concert Series and when asked by the show's hosts to sing a patriotic song in honor of D-Day (the game-changing World War II invasion by Allied troops marked its 70th anniversary on June 6), was clearly flustered by the suggestion.

"I'm off the clock," he said. "I'm going to watch 'y'all."

When the hosts gathered microphones and attempted to come up with a song the crowd could sing, Daughtry left the stage with the comment, "This is where I'll bail."

His actions triggered fury on Twitter, with one fan pointing out that U.S. soldiers "didn't go off the clock" on D-Day.

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In a video released by the singer, Daughtry said he was "embarrassed" and "ashamed" of his actions. "I was thrown off," he said, admitting he was unprepared to handle the request. "I panicked."

He said he tried to handle it injecting some humor -- which obviously misfired.

"It was absolutely disrespectful," he said. "Poor choice of words, terrible judgment on my part. ... I wish that I could have pulled it together."

The worst part of all, he added, was his neglect of the troops "who have sacrificed everything for our country."

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Said Daughtry: "What I do is miniscule in comparison, and I will never live up to what they did for our country. Fortunately, our troops have never said I am off the clock when they had to do what they had to do."

He concluded by saying the band, Daughtry, wholeheartedly supports the troops. 

"Everyone has a moment in their life that they regret very deeply, and this is at the top of my list," he said. "It hurts my heart to know that I have disrespected the men and women fighting every day. I apologize for offending any of our troops, any of the men and women who have served past or present," he said. "I'm sorry."

Daughtry directed fans to his YouTube message via Twitter, writing, "There aren't enough characters on Twitter to express all I need to say."

Watch Daughtry's apology below:

Twitter: @MicheleAmabile, @Idol_Worship