This past March, Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, along with their crew headed for the Middle East and the war zone as part of a USO Tour... here is the journal Troy kept along the way
March 6-7, 2006
Started out in Nashville, Tennessee at 1:30pm and traveled to Atlanta to meet up with Eddie. From Atlanta we went to Washington, DC where we had a three and a half hour layover. We spent most of it walking around the airport trying to find out where the luggage was. Only one-piece came up, everything else was checked through to Frankfort, Germany. While we were waiting, we got something to eat at Wendy's and went to the First Class Lounge, had a drink and waited on the band and crew to show up from Nashville.
From here we will fly to Frankfort, Germany. The plane is sweet. Comfort to the max! Tuning everything out and giving out our MG military coins.
We arrive in Germany, the weather is cool and there is snow on the ground. The airport looks a lot like Vancouver, Canada at first. Outside with the snow it looks like Georgia, Alabama or Mississippi. We have an hour and a half ride to Reinstein, Germany to the military base. I sleep most of the time. It is about 1:00a.m. here. Got to the base and called home to let Angie know we made it here. We stop at the base for a food break at Chili's?eat, drink and socialize with some of the military personnel there.
We will leave Reinsein for Kuwait. We meet the General and board the military aircraft for the 6-hour flight. The plane is like the ones you see in the movies, huge and surreal. No fear at all at this point. Comfort level good, not like a war is going on- just another gig so far. It is 11:35 am central time, 5:35pm in Germany and 7:35pm in Kuwait. Going to lay down in the sleeping bags they gave us and try to sleep. We land in Kuwait at 2:30 am Kuwait time and go to the hotel for a couple of hours. I call home again.
March 8, 2006 - 3:54am
We arrive at the hotel in Kuwait. Of course the ride at night restricted the view of town. Could see some buildings. It looks pretty neat. So far everything is normal. Bought a new camera for the trip and have only taken half a dozen pix so far. I am sure things will change dramatically later today. General Frutiger is from Alabama- a good guy, others from Texas and North Carolina. Our first show is this evening. CNN is on in my room- it is 4:00am. Going to try to get some rest. Lobby call is 9:45 am. Goodnight.
Day of March 8
Well so much for the rest. Time to gather stuff and thoughts. Take a shower to motivate me, with the help of an espresso from Starbucks! Can you believe it? Wonder down for breakfast, no one around, so I go back up to the room and watch TV and read a book about Kuwait City and Islam - Muslim religion. Pretty interesting.
Finally talk to Robin and meet him at room and head down for breakfast. Billy, Bo, Frank and Jimma join up. Meet some soldiers while eating.
Finish breakfast and leave to meet Colonel Brickmiller. We get a debriefing of what is happening and what he is in charge of. This camp is one of the last two you see in being prepped before going into Iraq. He looks like he could pass for Tom Hanks' brother.
We have lunch on sight- Arifjan, the largest of all camps here in Kuwait. Bathroom break and then on to Bauhring. This is where we are playing tonight. The briefing is very factual. But bottom line, this is the two-week crunch and then you head to Iraq. We eat a box lunch and head to sound check. While waiting to get started we took pictures with a lot of boys and girls and meet a branch from Kentucky. Sign pix and take more pix.
The concert went fairly good. Started out slow and ended with a bang. The troops loved it. It took the sun going down before they really got loose though. Kuwait is a non-alcoholic country- it is illegal in the country due to religious beliefs. But there is non- alcoholic beer- Coors Cutter. They go down like water, taste good though. The troops finally get rowdy as the show ends.
Drink some more NA beer and do a meet and greet for 100 soldiers – 10 at a time. Finally done, change clothes and head back. I get my stuff loaded on the bus. I can barely hold my head up sleep most of the way back. Return to hotel; grab my gear and head up to the room. Call my baby- eat snickers- had no dinner and crash. Will have no trouble sleeping tonight.
March 9, 2006
Sleep was good. I am up and packing gear to leave Kuwait for Iraq. Call baby and head downstairs. We don't eat this morning because of the flight into Iraq. May cause vomiting due to maneuvers going in. I cheated though and had to get a Starbuck's mocha.
Here now, in a hurry up and wait pattern.
We sat and waited for one or two hours for the flats with the gear to get loaded. General Frutiger started to get aggravated. We finally get on board and strapped in, but still waiting on gear to get loaded. I'm in and out of naps. A couple of soldiers who are going into Iraq load up on the plane with us. One sits bedside me. Both are in early 20's- we take off for an 11/2-hour ride. And I sleep. When we finally come to a stop and I wake up, I find out that we are back in Kuwait. Apparently there was a bad sand storm – they call white out. No visibility and we cannot land. We unload gear and head inside the airport where we order lunch and regroup. I nap some more. The ambien is kicking my butt. Eddie also mentioned that the stomach pill we took for motion sickness might make you sleepy too. After pizza and subs, we load back up on the bus and head back to the hotel. I come back up and nap some more! Call Angie. I call every chance I get. I miss my girls!
Since we didn't make Iraq today, the USO puts an evening performance together at Camp Arifjan where we first met Col. Miller. Get up from my nap and get ready for a 6:30pm lobby call. I stop and get a Turkish coffee that Robin turned me onto before leaving. We head to the gig. We have to cut the show a little since we got a late start. Show went really well. Everyone seemed to like it. I smoked a cigar from the PX with General Frutiger and we do our meet and greet with everyone. We have some more NA beer and head back to the hotel. We arrive back about midnight. And I am having another night of no sleep. Afraid to take another ambient after today's effect!
March 10, 2006 - 4:27am
This morning we are trying to fly into Iraq again. Not much sleep or any for that matter. Our lobby call is at 6:45am in the hopes of flying out at 10:00am. After getting up, I get a quick shower to try to refresh myself. I double-check my packing to make sure I have everything for the flight and everything from my room. We have to take everything in case we make it out of Kuwait today we won't be back.
Make it downstairs in time for breakfast. Missed dinner last night except for a Kit Kat and chips in my room chased by non-alcoholic champagne. Drop my bags and meet some of the guys. Hungry at this point, I grab some scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, fruit and grapefruit juice- no coffee this morning. Head off to the airport where we are delayed for 4 hours because of sand storms. We tour around the air force base and check out some neat guns (cal. 233) and one like my bushmaster with a grenade launcher. Then we visit the kennels with all the biting dogs. Mostly shepherds. Told us how they train them and the usefulness of the dogs obtaining criminals. It is cool outside today. Wind blowing pretty good, sand is everywhere. Wondering if we will get out. We eat lunch, subs again. The guys tour a huge plane, a C-5. It can hold 6 tour buses. I try to nap- unsuccessful. Our plane arrives and we are going to Iraq. Because we are running late we miss the afternoon acoustic show but will get back on schedule for the full band show. We arrive in Iraq, nothing but desert where we are. It is a Sadam Hussein compound that we bombed and took over. It is on holy land. One of the oasis' that is thought to be where Jesus had been in the garden is on this place beside the Euphrates River. Eddie, Gen. Frutiger and I tour the grounds with Chris, the General's executive officer. We see a lot of cool stuff. We get our room keys and load in our gear before our tour. After the tour, we head to get chow. Enchiladas, Spanish rice and a piece of BBQ chicken. Food is great around here. After dinner we head to sound check- a quick one so that Eddie and I can grab a quick shower and get changed and back to the show. We have 11/2 hours till show time. The marines are pumped. The show is great. We have full size stage so we are working it and the crowd is wild. Hats are being thrown from everyone. After the show we do our meet and great, grab some NA beer, a cigar and head to quarters.
March 11, 2006 - 10:30pm
Pack tonight to sleep in till 4:45am. Breakfast at 5:00am- ham, eggs, biscuits and gravy. Flight is delayed from 8-10:00am. I grab more sleep. More needed sleep. Get up at 8:30am and get my gear to meet up with everyone. Head to C-130 plane and hang our taking pictures and signing autographs until we board the plane. Today we are headed to Kirkuk, Iraq to FOB Warrior. We are in northern Iraq. The main base doesn't see much action here but the small FOB, McHenry, where we are doing our first acoustic show, sees a lot of action. It is beautiful here today, for me anyway. It is sunny and in the low 70's, but they say in 6-8 weeks it can get as hot as 130-140 degrees. The hospitality is great here as it has been everywhere. We come in to meet all the heads here and have lunch while waiting on the Blackhawks to arrive to take us to McHenry for acoustic show.
We will travel to McHenry in 2 Blackhawks- one to carry gear and the other for passengers. The small, small base looks like the set of M.A.S.H. with a lot of sand bags. The guys here are cool and excited to see us. We are in a pretty hot zone outside their parameters. As we visit, a lot of guys come out to meet us. I don't think anyone has been here to entertain yet. If so, not more than a couple. They have their own mechanic building. They work on all of their own vehicles- a small chow hall of which they are adding on to. The medical building looks like M.A.S.H. They only have 2 gurneys and 2 doctors, but they are adding on too. We only walked for about 30-40 minutes and saw all of it. The turn out was great for the acoustic show. Eddie, Jimma, Bo, Eddie K, and Robin are also with us. We play about an hour cutting up with the guys. One gets up to help sing on Hell Yeah. Everybody hoops and hollers for him. After the show- the usual- meet and greet and take pix. I actually meet two guys who know Jerry Mathews, a friend of mine from Nashville. We swap numbers. We load up and head back to base camp of Kirkurk- FOB Warrior for a big out door show with full band. We were told on the way back that an I.E.D. (improvised explosive device) went off during our show about one mile away. And about 2-3 hours after we depart, they are taking hits right outside their parameters. Iraqi's must not like country music!!!! We think they only had one minor injury. The show was good, meet and greet with some important officers. A couple of choppers were deployed to check out a couple of I.E.D.'s that went off, but nothing close.
Meet my first Iraqi soldier. Loves country music and had a great time at the show. They aren't all as-----. Which reminds me, as we fly over these small farms going from place to place, the Iraqis wave to us as we go over. It is the end of night- wrap up and head to barracks. Do some light packing and call my girls. Can hardly look at the pictures from home- I miss them so much. I know we are touching people here, but I am ready to be touching my girls and family.
I grab a bite of pizza and a NA beer and head to a campfire behind one of the quarters where everyone is meeting. Most of that time, talking guns and hunting. I am tired. Call Angie again- we talk briefly and I hit the sack. We have to be up and packed by 6:00am. Flying again tomorrow- Camp Anaconda.
March 12, 2006
It is another beautiful day in Iraq- cool in the morning, but in the 70's in the afternoon.
Before we leave Warrior, waiting on tire changes on our plane, we visit two old bunkers of Hussein's that have been converted for our needs. One is a new communication operation and the other we didn't go inside, but meet the gunners out in front. We get some pictures made with everyone and from there we go and meet a medical unit. There is one wounded soldier in there and we went over to meet him. He has abdominal injuries. He was injured from an I.E.D. He is thin and weak. He will be shipped home to re-cooperate and then come back. From there we go on top of the entrance of Sadam's main military base, which is where we have been all day in Kirkurk. It overlooks the city. Three I.E.D.'s have gone off in the last three weeks, the closest one at about 200 yards. But all is calm here today.
We make our last stop before leaving for Bastogne at the "club" to say goodbye to the officers. They present us with a certificate and their token coins. These guys are real cool- they will be remembered.
We are headed to our last stop in Iraq- Camp Anaconda. I have to find a couple of guys to say hey to. A guy from Columbia, TN named Dan Thomas. I think that he is a contractor here. And David Green a medic in the 101st. I met his family in Alaska while we were playing in Fairbanks.
Today our acoustic show is going to be in __________. Don't know what to think here. Our guide talks about how nothing is going on here. A lot of the soldiers don't carry their firearms. Then someone else tells me that I should have a gun and keep my head down. All I do know is that we were escorted by Kentucky Blackhawk pilots (Company 147th Renegades) there and back.
Here we were a part of a reenlistment ceremony. Eddie and I held the American flag.
This camp is a little different. Fairly small, but the soldiers seem to be indifferent. Glad to see us, but not the hurrah we had gotten in other places. But there was one company where all of the guys came out to get pictures and autographs. I think it was part of the Calvary. We did meet some marines with their "toys" out. We saw their small PX, (little store). This place is growing. They are putting in basketball courts, new shower and bathhouses. It must have been hell here before it was developed. It looks nice; baby palms have been planted everywhere.
We did have a good turnout for the acoustic performance. Afterward, certificates were presented and coins exchanged. We had a meet and greet and the usual after show stuff. Then it is back up in the Blackhawks with our Kentucky boys and head back to the big event of the evening. This event takes place on the soccer field and the property where Sadam's Olympic soccer team trained. It is also the same field where he had the same team executed for losing. That man is insane!
We got back and had to race for showers. We are meeting back up in 30 minutes to go a meet some big whigs- commanders and generals, 24 in all. This is the biggest show yet- 4000 soldiers from all the branches, 6 in hospital beds placed right up front. Everyone is scattered about but packed in. The stage is huge, 80x60 and a lot more p.a. equipment. (Billy is excited.) The show was a huge success- it went great! After, the usual- meet and greet, etc. It goes pretty quickly for 4000 people being there. We grab a cigar and a N.A. beer and run for cover. When we get back, we all get together for pizza and more of that great N.A. beer! We all talk about the week. We are finished here in Iraq. Heading to Germany in the morning. We rise at 4:45 a.m. We reflect on the past week here, we are presented a couple of more certificates, along with the band. We laugh and cut up. I try to call Angie a couple of times then head back to pack up and go to bed. Early morning and a long flight back to Germany. Doesn't feel like we have been here that long.
March 13, 2006
Good morning all, it is 6:15am, we have been up since 4:30am or at least I have. We loaded up our bags and turned in our keys to our Camp Anaconda stay. Grabbed some Apple Jacks and coffee to go. Headed to airport. We fly to Ramstein, Germany today on a C-17 aircraft. It is about a five-hour flight. It was nice and cool this morning, quiet and peaceful. You would never know there was a war going on over here. The trip to Iraq was incredible. I respect our soldiers even more now after walking in a little bit of the world they are in right now. America is truly blessed to have these men and women over here protecting and fighting for us.
Back in Germany, the most eventful part of the day was getting through customs, in which the General got on top of quickly. It looked like it was going to be along process, until they realized that the General was there. Things moved rather quickly after that. We had to sign a few autographs, but that was okay. From there we loaded up on a couple of buses- Mercedes buses! They were smaller than our buses, but the inside similar in the set-up. It had four bunks and a front and back lounge. We had a one and a half hour drive to our hotel in Frankfort. Eddie, Robin, and I met the band downstairs for lunch. After that we get our stuff and head out for our show in Germany tonight. It is at a base in Wiesbaden, a forty-five minute drive. We skip sound check. The General and his wife arrive.
The show is good, but you can tell we have been at it for a while. Everyone is tired. After the show we meet and greet a few key people and their families. We load up and head back to the hotel for the end of the run party.
March 14, 2006
Today we are going to a military hospital to meet the wounded. This is in Landstuhl, a two-hour ride. All of the wounded come through here before going back to the states. There are only nineteen soldiers her at the hospital. A couple of the guys were at the Anaconda show. We spend a little over an hour here. When we are on our way out, we meet the president of the USO and his wife on their way in. We gave each wounded soldier a cd and signed picture. Hopefully the music will help to pass the time while recovering. After we leave the hospital, we are off the meet the General. He has a private tour set up for us to see one of the oldest castles in Germany. This is in Heidelberg- hence the name of the Heidelberg Castle. This is a cool trip. I have always wanted to visit a castle. There are several up and down the river. During the summer they have an event called the "Lighting of the Castle's" the first Saturday of the summer months. The castle is cool. It was built in four different periods. We will have to revisit this. The day is cold here. The stories are amazing. I will have to research more of the family history and castle history. The General is going to send us a book on it. After the tour of the castle, we head seven miles down river to dinner where the General's wife meets us. They serve wild game here. The food is excellent. I have the elk with brussel sprouts and potato sticks- look like french fries, but soft like a potato cake. This is another place to revisit. After dinner we all head back to the General's house for a night- cap. They have some really nice antique pieces. They are collectors. Everybody hates that it is the end. We all promise to stay in touch and come back to visit. We truly have made some great friends on this trip. I am so glad that I made the trip.
We head back to the hotel for our final nights stay. Pack up and recharge all the electronics for the long flight back home. Can't wait to see my girls!!!
Checking out went smooth. Eddie was running a little late. He thought that he was on a later flight with Johnny. This had to stem from the conversation about Robin and I catching a different flight from Washington to Nashville non-stop. We didn't want to fly all the way to Atlanta and get back so late. We will save three hours of flying by doing this. Our flight boards 30 minutes late. The flight is good though. I sleep some and watch some weird b-movies. I think we only have an hour till Washington. I can't wait to be back in the states and hug my girls.
Overall I am really glad that I made the trip. I was in places and met people that most don't in a lifetime. And what a great cause! The USO has been helping to keep the moral of the troops up for years. These men and women provide a service to this country that goes thankless too often. Thought it is better these days, these men and women lay their lives out on the line so that we as Americans can enjoy the benefits we have here at home. (Like the job that I have.) We are living in a better world because of these men and women. And though it was a short trip to visit them, I honestly believe and feel in my heart, that we made a difference. If only for the moment we were playing they were able to forget about the war and be able to relax and just have fun for a little bit. There are people who couldn't believe that we were over there, let alone at the FOB. This is an event we need to do more of!
If I were asked the one question, "Would you do it again?" HELL YEAH I WOULD! It was an experience of a lifetime for a great cause.
What would I do differently? I would love to stay longer and see more of the troops. But for now, I have to get back to my family.