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.