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.