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DAY ONE & TWO, APRIL 5 & 6:
Today we depart from Nashville to Kyrgyzstan on a C-40 Private Jet –
courtesy of the Tennessee National Guard. There are only 3 C-40’s and now
they are building one more. It is a “flying office in the sky”.
Approximately 40 first class seats – and there are only 18 of us from
Nashville and we pick up 4 more passengers (USAREUR) in Ireland. The flight
crew was from Andrews AFB in D.C.
Charlie Daniels Band is going over to entertain our troops. First top will
be Manas AB in Bishkek, Kyrgystan. We had planned to stay at the Hyatt
Hotel, but there was a political coupe a few weeks ago and the government
was overthrown. We had to cancel our hotel reservations and stay in tents
on base. We are traveling with a General and 3 other members of the
Tennessee National Guard and will pick up a General and 3 members of USARUER
when we stop in Shannon, Ireland to refuel.
Met at
the TNG air terminal for a 10 am departure. The flight crew let me sit in
the jump seat in the cockpit for the take off and the entire flight to DC.
Super nice group of guys flying us, but we “lose” them in DC and pick up a
different crew. Pilot was Darrell – pilot for American Airlines who had
been called back to active duty and Dave – pilot for United who was called
back to active duty. Really enjoyed chatting with them on the flight up.
Darrell is married with SIX children and a “stay at home wife”…imagine
that! Dave is divorced with two girls. It was much less stressful to be
able to sit up there and actually ask questions that sitting in the back of
the plane being struck by lightning! They have Navy Blue flight suits. I
have the desert brown and green, so I’m working them to get a Navy Blue one!
Landed at
Andrews and had about an hour on the ground to re-fuel and switch out our
flight crew. Got another great group of guys and “girl” for the long
flights over. They will sit on the ground in Cyprus while we visit various
countries via military C-130’s. Then will come back to pick us up for the
flight home.
This
flight crew is:
Beth
Drew
Scott
Mike
Manny
Kerry
Larry
Gary
Van
Can you
believe I remembered all the names? Chely will be SO proud of me. She is
my inspiration to try and remember everyone’s name.
We have a
6 ½ hour flight to Shannon, Ireland which means we will land there at 1:30
AM on the 6th. Stay on the ground for about 1 ½ hours to refuel
and then a 7 ½ hour flight to Kyrgyzstan. Wouldn’t you just know that
Kyrgyzstan JUST lifted their travel advisory. I think we’re going to call
the Hyatt from Ireland and see if we can get our rooms back!
Thought
that we were not going to be able to land in Kyrgyzstan because it was
snowing and there was freezing fog with limited visibility. But, our
wonderful new flight crew got us on the ground exactly on time. Boy, we
hate to trade this nice plane in for the choppers and C-130’s!
We are
all lodged in DV tents – I’m in exactly the same bed that I stayed in last
November when I was here! Charlie has a room that is a little nicer with a
bathroom in it but the Generals are bunking with us. Bebe had warned me
before we left the U.S. that she’s not “much on camping” and was hoping we
wouldn’t have to stay in tents. J
We got
unloaded and Bebe and I “hiked” up to the building where the showers and
latrines are located. Took our showers and started to leave the room only
to find that there is a “number” lock on the door! Now, why in the world
would you have to punch in a code to get OUT of the bathroom but don’t have
to punch in one to get in? We couldn’t get out, so we started fumbling
with the lock and yelling and someone finally came and let us out.
Went to
the DFAC to have dinner and sat with some really sweet young soldiers –
Jason from Kansas City and David from Seattle (see, Chely, I REALLY am
trying!).
Charlie
was not supposed to perform here but he decided to do a 30 minute acoustic
set – which turned into an hour set. He was going to wait until tomorrow to
sign autographs but ended up signing for 2 hours after the show. I cannot
begin to tell you how packed the room was or how excited these men and women
were to have him there. So many of the very young soldiers knew ALL the
words to his songs. When he took the stage and I saw the faces of the men
and women, my heart just filled to overflowing. It’s impossible to describe
the emotion that we experience on these tours.
I’m now
at the Coffee Shop (where I spent HOURS last November) answering my 100+
emails from yesterday. We have some confusion about tomorrow’s flights. We
were supposed to leave early for the 2 hour C-130 ride from Kyrgyzstan to
Bagram, Afghanistan. BUT, the runways are being repaired in Bagram and we
can’t depart until 3:30 pm. Have to move our show time there from 6 pm to 8
pm. More tomorrow...
Jude
DAY THREE – APRIL 7TH:
I am
so tired, I can’t even remember everything that happened today!
Right
before I departed Nashville, I decided to buy a new pair of Wellington’s to
have for the cold weather in Kyrgyzstan. Rushed to the mall and found
exactly what I was looking for. My normal size felt a little too tight, so
I opted for the “looser” half size up. Wore them on the flight over but was
disappointed because they felt so “uncomfortable”. Then I was walking
through the terminal in Ireland and it felt like the inside of the shoe had
come loose. I was really ticked off and pulled the shoe off to
investigate. Learned that there were PLASTIC inserts in the top of each
shoe for “protectors” that should have been removed before I wore them. Now,
after taking these out, the shoes are way too big. I’m having to wear 2
pair of socks just to keep them on. Lindsey – you get new shoes when I come
home.
Got 4 hours
sleep and got up and walked down to the gym. So many flights have been
cancelled due to weather, that they had to convert the “cardio” side of the
gym to sleeping quarters. So, I got to work out with free weights. Took
my shower and figured out the “lock” on the inside of the bathroom. There
is an “outside” entrance to the shower where you don’t have to walk down the
hall to the offices. The lock on the inside is to keep the “locals” from
wandering around inside the office building!
After the
shower, we went with Charlie to sign some flags and autographs for various
groups on the base, including the security forces protecting the entrances.
Grabbed some sandwiches from Subway and headed to the C-130. We were told
that the plane MIGHT not be able to land in Bagram, Afghanistan because
there was a sand storm and very high winds. Bagram is where the Chinook
went down last night. We would either go back to Kyrgyzstan or divert to
Uzbekistan. Our flight crew was out of Alaska and very nice but the plane
was so crowded. We had 17 soldiers on with us trying to get to Bagram,
too. And, I sat on the wrong side – couldn’t stretch my legs out and my
butt was FREEZING the entire way….literally…just my butt, nothing else.
Charlie sat up on the flight deck the entire time which was great for him.
We flew the
2 hours to Bagram and were unable to land. We diverted to Uzbekistan so we
could give those troops a surprise performance! The folks on the ground
thought someone was playing an “April’s Fool” joke on them. They couldn’t
believe Charlie Daniels was coming to their base. And, they had to deal
with housing 23 of us PLUS the 17 soldiers. But, they rose to the occasion
and did a great job making arrangements for us.
We were
able to set up in one hour and gave them a show from 8-9 pm. Charlie signed
autographs for a couple of hours and then everyone, except me, went to bed.
It’s about 2 am again and I am definitely headed to bed. We don’t think we
can fly until 7 pm tomorrow night. We have to stop in Bagram and pick up a
sound tech and all our production that we rented from Kuwait! It has been
there for 2 days waiting on us. Plus, we feel so badly that Bagram didn’t
get a show, SOOOOO….the General has arranged for us to use the BACK of
another C-130 for an acoustic show while ours is being refueled. Won’t have
any mics or amps or anything else, but we’ve pulled it off for 2 nights and
I’m sure we can do it again. Our drummer has been using a metal garbage can
for drums! Troops still love it.
Won’t be
able to send email from this computer until I arrive Kuwait. GOODNIGHT!
Jude
DAY FOUR – APRIL 8TH
I stayed up
until 2:30 am working on email because I thought I could sleep late today.
We couldn’t get a flight out of Uzbekistan until 7:00 pm and would not
arrive Kuwait until around 3 am the following day – which certainly wasn’t
great, but the only way we could get there. We are pretty much at the
“mercy” of the military and have to “hitch” rides when there is a crew and
plane going the way we need to go. These guys have much more important
things to do than haul around entertainers.
I had just
gotten in my bunk when I thought I heard someone knocking on the door. I
ignored it thinking no one would be knocking at 3 am. It continued. I got
up and a soldier was standing there apologizing. Said he just got word that
we could get out on an early morning flight but he would need everyone’s
passport by 6:30 am and luggage out by 7:30 am. He wanted me to make the
decision but I first had to know if the new flight would be going through
Bagram, Afghanistan because we had all our production equipment and a sound
tech from Kuwait stranded on the ground there without us. He confirmed that
we would make a stop in Bagram to pick him and the equipment up. So, I got
about 2 hours of sleep before having to get up to round up everyone else who
all thought we had a full day off.
Had
breakfast with two really neat guys. One of them asked me “why I did
this”. My response was, “Why do you do this? Why do you risk your life for
someone you’ve never met? You enable me and other Americans to live the
wonderful lifestyles we enjoy and I’m not doing anything that every American
shouldn’t be doing”
Got on our
C-130 with a great flight crew. Only had a few other people on the flight
with us to Bagram and it was only about a 1 hour and 15 minute flight. When
we landed, there was a huge dust storm taking place and the wind was still
blowing really hard. We went into the Pat Tillman Center that just opened
about 3 days ago. It’s a beautiful facility for our troops. The NFL
donated the money to the USO for them to build this in Pat Tillman’s memory
and Charlie Daniels had the honor of being the first person to perform
there. We had no production equipment – just guitars and his fiddle. The
drummer made a shaker out of Tupperware and used it.
We had to
leave one of our “escorts” from USAREUR as he was not cleared to go to
Kuwait and Iraq. We got to talking and realized that we had met in June
2003, when we had the huge show with Chely Wright and Kid Rock at the
Baghdad International Airport. He was working “security” for the stage. I
had thought he looked familiar, but I meet so many people, that I wasn’t
sure where I might have met him.
Bebe wore some bright pink shoes the other day
and General Frutiger has been on a “mission” to buy her a pair of desert
books because he doesn’t want her to be a “target” in Iraq. Today I wore my
pink camouflage pants and pink shoes! Caught a lot of grief from him but
the soldiers loved the outfit. J
We loaded
up the C-130 with box lunches and took off for Kuwait – a 7 plus hour
flight. It was so miserable. You can’t really stretch your legs out and
you sit in web seating that is like a bench hung from the ceiling. Again it
was freezing but the General made sure we got poncho liners out of the
sleeping bags to wrap up in. I was about to sit in my “usual” seat in the
very front part of the plane when the flight crew explained that a “urinal”
was installed there and would have a curtain around it and I might want to
sit somewhere else. Good idea! Usually they only have a “honey bucket”
(bucket with a trash can liner in it) in the back but this time they had an
actual toilet like you see in campers and it actually flushed! Still had to
climb up on this “throne” and pull a shower curtain around you to use it.
Such luxury, though.
We didn’t
land in Kuwait until after 7 pm and the hotel was ready for us. This is a 4
star Radisson Hotel and absolutely beautiful. Has a couple of pools and is
located right on the beach. The restaurant has a buffet dinner that is
unbelievable.
So, I’m
working on email again at 1 am and chasing down “lost bags”. At least we
know where they are – just not how we’re going to get them here! Tomorrow
is the show at Camp Arifjan. They had to build a bigger stage because they
are expecting over 8,000 people to attend! Hope the weather is good and
WARM!!! Will be able to send email again tomorrow but not sure after than
when we had into Iraq.
Night.
Jude
DAY FIVE – APRIL 9TH
Forgot to
mention that the reason we were performing in the Pat Tillman Center
yesterday is because of the show being cancelled the night before. Charlie
was determined to sign autographs and “pick a little” for the troops and
they LOVED it. The only opportunity was when we were refueling the
aircraft, so we arranged to have everyone carry on their instruments and hop
off for a little impromptu session for them. So far this trip, he has
performed 3 unscheduled shows! He is an amazing man!
The staff
at the Radisson “like me” – probably because I give them so much business!
They gave me a beautiful suite this time, but it is a little too big for
me. There is a “living room, dining room, two bathrooms, bedroom and entry
way. The bellman knocked on the door to deliver my luggage and I opened
THREE doors before I figured out which one was the outer door. I also have
this beautiful balcony with a lounge chair and tables that overlooks the
pool and beach. Quite different from the tents I’m accustomed to staying
in. Best part is DSL line in my room, though.
I got in a
wonderful jog this morning along my “normal route”. It’s on a busy street
but goes out near the beach at one point. Pedestrians do NOT have the right
of way here as I learned when I almost got mowed down by a speeding SUV this
morning. It was only 84 degrees at 7 am so I knew I could run outside.
I’m usually here when it’s about 110 degrees at 6 am! Funny that 84 sounds
“cool” enough to run outside.
Didn’t even
realize that today is the two year anniversary of the fall of Saddam!
We arrived
at Arifjan at around 3 pm and Charlie did a little “Meet and Greet” with a
couple of hundred troops. Then we went over to the hospital to visit with
the wounded. No one in there with serious injuries, thank goodness. Mostly
work related injuries as in jumping off a truck and hurting a leg,
dehydration, that sort of thing. There were only about 12 people in there.
This is the same hospital that Chely visited in September and they invited
her to watch an appendectomy –which she did!
Had some
major problems with our sound system. This same system had been set up in
Afghanistan 2 days ago in preparation for our show there. When our flight
was cancelled, they simply tore it down without using it. Evidently, there
was an “electrical power” issue and it blew up the cables. When they
plugged in today with those same cables, it blew up the equipment.
Fortunately, the company had another set of equipment that they brought in.
(Remember – there is only ONE sound company in all of Kuwait because
concerts are forbidden in Kuwait. Alcohol is also forbidden in the entire
country!). We also learned that instead of giving us a separate generator
for our show, they had three other huge buildings all trying to run off the
same power source.
But, we got
everything working and were only about 5 minutes late starting the show. It
was an outdoor stage and there were more than 5,000 people attending. It
was awesome. Charlie played for more than an hour and signed autographs for
almost 2 hours. It got to see all my friends from Camp Arifjan and Colonel
Brick Miller and his wife that I met last September and have stayed in touch
with via email. He’s deployed here for 2 years, so he gets to bring his
wife with him.
I was
backstage talking to some of the MP’s and one of them was trying to tell a
young MP how to “dance”. Now, I cannot dance, but I took a couple of
lessons on how to two-step before I left Nashville because I always feel so
bad when I have to say “no” to a soldier when he asks me to dance. So, I
gave him a little private lesson. At least he didn’t know how badly I
dance. J
Since BG
Frutiger was giving me a hard time about my pink shoes, I decided to wear
pink pants and a pink top as well. I told him we would take a “poll”
amongst the soldiers and see if they wanted to see me in pink or in desert
camo. I think I’ll win that argument. Wait until he sees my bright orange
cargo pants that I brought to wear in Iraq
We met up
with Cpt. Joshua Stiltner who will be our escort throughout Iraq. Bags out
at 6:30 am tomorrow and we depart for APOD at 8:00. Then C-130 into Iraq
for our first show at Camp Victory. We’ll be staying in one of Saddam’s
former palaces. Last time there was a DSL line right in my bedroom so
maybe I’ll be able to send out emails from there.
Jude
DAY SIX – APRIL 10TH:
Up early (too early to even get in a jog!) for departure to Iraq. Of
course, our airplane had mechanical problems and was late arriving to pick
us up. Pretty typical during these tours. We flew in a C-130 from Kuwait
to Baghdad with no problems. Landed and checked into the DV quarters on the
lake. This is the same palace I stayed in with Chalee and Danni in July
(where we took several “souvenirs” and where we sat out back with my friend
who is the 2 Star – smoking cigars, swatting at bats, and watching mortars
land around the base!). The General (who is my friend is at the
International Zone) and I fought hard to take the show there because they
never receive any entertainment. They have not had a celebrity show there
since I had Chely perform there in September. Politics got involved and I
lost the battle – this time!
I was
standing in the check-in area and saw some young men checking in. Something
told me they were a part of my friend’s “entourage” so I introduced myself.
They took me over to the base exchange area where he was “rug shopping”.
Wish I had more time here to do a little shopping but our days are crammed
full with visits to the remote sites – the reason we’re here! He has
another great group of young men working with him. Hopefully, they will
send me some photos that we took last night with their cameras.
Charlie did
an interview with AFN and then he did a “live” feed from Baghdad to the CMT
Awards Show in Nashville. How cool is that? I can’t wait to get home and
see it. Hopefully SOMEBODY (hint, hint) taped it for me.
The show
was outdoors and again, he had around 5,000 people attend. It was another
great performance and he signed autographs for several hours afterwards. I
got to visit during that time with my friend and afterwards, we went to the
“midnight” chow at the DFAC. Still seems strange that we only get to visit
in Baghdad. He’s relocating to Korea in a few weeks and since I spend so
much time there, guess we’ll be visiting in Seoul in the future.
The room
that they put us in at the palace is probably the worst one as far as
“location”. The bathroom is outside the bedroom and since it’s located
right next to the check-in desk, everyone in the lobby considers it the
“public restroom”. I had to wait to take a shower until someone got out of
it at midnight when we returned to lodging.
Jude
DAY SEVEN – APRIL 11TH:
I wanted to get up and run with the General but since we got in so late and
had to get up so early, we decided not to plan anything. Then Bebe woke up
at 4:30 am, so of course, I woke up, too, since we’re sharing a room. Wish
we had planned to run because there would have been plenty of time. Had
breakfast with him and then we departed via helicopters to our remote site
visits. He is an outstanding “leader” because he takes such good care of
his men. The guys in his entourage that were allowed to attend Charlie’s
concert had a wonderful time and you could tell it was such a morale boost
for them.
It was a
truly amazing day. Impossible to put into words. Our first black hawk
flight was from Baghdad to Camp Bernstein. I’ve been to some really remote
locations but never that far North. And, talk about “remote”. There was
NOTHING anywhere near there. We specifically targeted visits to these Camps
because of the huge contingency of Tennessee National Guard stationed
there. There were very few women stationed at this Camp. The show was set
up inside a hanger and as I walked around during the performance, a soldier
asked to have his photo made with me. Then, there was the domino
effect….soldier after soldier came up to have his photo made with me! I
even had several guys ask me if I was Charlie’s wife. J They were just
thrilled to see a “female” in civilian clothes and I had worn a bright blue
top and jeans that were split up the legs and tied with little suede
strings. They also said that they hadn’t “smelled” a female’s perfume since
last November and were following me around “sniffing”. There was a puppy at
the camp and he immediately came up to me, stuck his nose inside one of the
openings on the leg of my jeans and licked my leg. I commented that he must
have “been out here a while, too” and it cracked the soldiers up.
By the
way – it is HOT here. Kuwait was supposed to be hotter, but Iraq if
definitely the hottest place we have visited. It had to be in the high 90’s
and this is only April. I remember that it was 140 degrees in the shade in
Baghdad last July 4th!
Although
it was supposed to only be a little acoustic set, Charlie performed for an
hour plus signed autographs afterwards. Near the end of the show, the chair
he was sitting in collapsed. Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt and the Camp had
him autograph the chair after the show. We had lunch with the troops and I
felt bad because they only get two meals a day – breakfast and dinner.
Since they had “lunch” today, they would not have dinner. Really enjoyed
visiting these guys. This was the FIRST entertainment of any kind that they
have received.
Next stop
was Camp Cobra which was even more remote. There were only 3 females
stationed there and I talked to one of them for a while. She was married
and has a 3 year old daughter. She had been there since last June, has not
been home once, and will be there until November. She said that at first,
she was a little bit “bitter” about having to leave her family. But, after
she got over there and started visiting with the locals, she knew that this
was where she needed to be. She started a program for the women where they
help orphans and also got a building built so that the women could run
their own “shops” and not have to buy everything from male vendors.
I was
backstage watching the show and a “local” came up and wanted his photo taken
with me. We did that and he disappeared for a while. Then he came back
with “gifts” for me – two pair of earrings, a necklace and a RING. I asked
him if the ring meant we were married and he said, “Yes, it is the
tradition!” I told him I was going to hold out for the Mercedes before
committing. I found out he is a Kurdish interpreter. Again, Charlie
performed for over and hour and then signed autographs and took photos.
And, once again, this was the first entertainment this Camp has ever had.
Last stop
of a very long day was Camp Anaconda in Balad. They had built a HUGE
stage. They had made Charlie a beautiful cake welcoming him to Anaconda.
The best part of the evening for me was hooking up with a soldier who had
been my very first escort in Iraq in December, 2003. His name is Major Stew
Stephenson and he was AWESOME for us in December with Craig Morgan and Jolie
Edwards. We reminisced about him having to escort us between Al Ramadi and
Fallujah in a soft vehicle! Very dangerous ride. He actually served a year
in Iraq and then begged to come back for another year. He is a very, very
special person and I am so blessed to have him as a friend. We have stayed
in touch via email and it was so special to be able to see him again. He
was the BEST escort we have ever had.
There had to have been about 5,000 people at the Anaconda show.
However, Anaconda gets entertainment on a regular basis. This was my
third visit to this Camp. This is also the Camp where we usually take
mortar fire. I was surprised NOT to have an attack. Charlie
signed autographs for hours. Then we took a Chinook home instead of
our blackhawks. They told us we would be doing some “: maneuvering”
and they lived up to their promise. At one point flares were going off
outside. I thought they were just test firing but this morning we were
told that the helicopter actually took ground fire! Made it back to
lodging at Camp Victory before midnight. I stayed up late again
answering emails.
DAY 8 – APRIL 12th:
This is our last day in Iraq and it is very sad. I overheard a couple
of the musicians talking this morning and they were saying how their lives
would never be the same after this visit. I wish everyone – not just
Americans – could come here and experience what we see every tour. It
is life-changing and I am a better person for it.
We took
blackhawks to Camp Caldwell – another remote site with our Tennessee
National Guard. I was surprised by the “lush, green countryside” on the
flight up. I’ve flown over so much of Iraq and usually only see a few
“square patches” of green grass. But this was “green” as far as the eye
could see. We also passed huge smokestacks that I thought were oil
refineries but turned out to be brick factories.
The guys
at this camp were delighted to have us visit. Once again, we were the
first entertainment they have had. They had built us a stage and even
purchased a drum kit from somewhere. There was band playing and a “Rocky
Top” sign on top of the stage. Charlie performed for over an hour and
signed autographs again. We didn’t have time to eat lunch with the troops
because we have to fly back to Germany today.
Flew from
Camp Caldwell to Baghdad International Airport and then transferred
everything to a C130 for the flight to Kuwait. Landed right on time in
Kuwait and transferred everything to the C40. Our C40 flight crew has been
“on the beach” in Cypress since they dropped us off. All nice and tanned
while we were FREEZING in the ‘Stans!
I think
we all passed out on the flight from Kuwait to Frankfurt. It’s been a very
challenging trip but I would go back tomorrow if the opportunity arose. We
had buses waiting for us at the military base in Frankfurt and the bus
company belongs to one of my dear, long time friends – Michael Tietze. I
haven’t seen him in years but plan to spend some time with him tomorrow
before I depart to Nurnburg to meet up with Richard Marx.
That will
be an entirely new adventure to begin tomorrow – actually, today. It’s 2 am
and I’m signing off.
Jude
DAY 9 – APRIL 13TH:
Got everyone off to the flight line. General Frutiger presented Charlie
with a very special award for his service to the U.S. Military. The 4 Star
(General Bell) wanted to present it but it meant us traveling to Heidelburg
and there just wasn’t enough time.
My friend
with the bus company dropped me off at the regular airport and I was able to
get on an earlier flight to Nurnberg. I am getting a cold and feel pretty
lousy, so I was looking forward to getting in early, catching up on email
and going to bed.
Arrived
in Nurnberg with no problems but it’s strange for me not to have someone
meeting me at the airport and taking care of me. I had to remember to
exchange money and then find a taxi to the hotel. I survived. J
Beautiful
hotel and they upgraded me to a Junior Suite, which is nice….but….the
wireless does not work in this room. They are actually not sure it works
anywhere other than the LOBBY….shades of Switzerland. Definitely still a
third world country. I had a “technician” in my room for two hours trying
to get me on line. I finally had to settle for “dial up” which is
incredibly slow. By the time we got the internet working, it was 6 pm and I
had to run out and purchase some ink jet cartridges (that I forgot to
bring!). Old Town Nurnberg with its walls is located right outside the
front door of the hotel. I walked across to find a computer shop and it is
so beautiful. Wish I had time here to “explore”. If I feel better tomorrow
morning, I’ll at least go jogging around the wall.
Richard
Marx and his group arrive tomorrow and hopefully the internet does work in
his room. I had to go down and talk to the manager about it because the
sales rep assured me that they had “high speed connection” in each room.
One of
Charlie’s musicians wrote down his “thoughts” about the trip. I asked him
for a copy of it because he did such a great job of expressing what we all
feel. Here’s his thoughts:
IN THE
COMPANY OF ANGELS
I’VE BEEN IN THE COMPANY OF ANGELS
THE VERY BEST GOD HAS TO OFFER THIS MORTAL WORLD
I FELT NO FEAR
ONLY HOPE AND A DEEP SENSE OF COMFORTING FAITH
I’D WAKE EARLY AND PRAY FOR THEM
A COUPLE OF TIMES I CRIED FOR THEM
MY HEART WELLS WITH PRIDE FOR THEM
I’M HUMBLED
MY SPIRIT HAS BEEN LIFTED
SIMPLY BY BEING IN THEIR PRESENCE
I’VE SEEN TRUE GOODNESS
I’VE BEEN IN THE COMPANY OF ANGELS
(God Bless the Armed Forces of the United States of America – written by
Bruce Brown on April 12, 2005, in Iraq)
Jude
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