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This was the first appearance of any American performers (or any outsiders for that matter) in Iraq since Saddam Hussein came into power.
The Press Release stated:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 16, 2003 -- The first entertainment tour to the Persian Gulf region since Operation Iraqi Freedom -- Project Salute 2003 -- is underway, with a host of entertainers and professional athletes paying tribute to the men and women of the U.S. and coalition armed forces.
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As part of a USO tour Chely and I are accompanied by some very notable names in show business. On this particular trip are; Robert De Niro, Rebecca Romijn Stamos (Actress), John Stamos (Actor), Gary Sinese (Actor), Kid Rock, Kentucky rappers Nappy Roots (rappers), Neal McCoy (Country Singer), Lee Ann Womack (Country Singer), Brittany Murphy (Actress), Alyssa Milano (Actress), Jesse James of Monster Garage fame, and Wayne Newton (Mr. Las Vegas). We also have along the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, Leeann Tweeden (model/FOX sports caster), NBA players Cherokee Parks (Clippers), Jay Williams (Bulls), Mark Madson (Lakers) and others, and NFL superstars, Jason Taylor (Miami Dolphins) and Duce Staley (Philadelphia Eagles), comedian Paul Rodriquez, and rapper Bubba Sparxxx.
The tour is a cooperative effort of the Defense Department’s Armed Forces Entertainment Office, the USO, the Intrepid Museum Foundation, Tribeca Film Institute, Vanity Fair, MTV and the National Basketball Association. Northwest Airlines is providing transportation.
TRAVEL JOURNAL
Kuwait, Baghdad & Qutar
June 15 – June 21
2003
Day One
June 15-17, 2003
We departed BNA (Nashville) in mid afternoon-Sunday June 15-arriving Washington National (Ronald Regan Airport) about 8:30 PM. We were whisked off to the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon Hotel where we started by attending an evening reception with the traveling entourage. It picked up in the bar and continued till about 2 AM for those who cared to partake. Bruce (Chely’s guitarist) and I dropped down for a couple glasses of libation and some “star gazing.” Kid Rock was sitting at the table next to me chatting with Gary Sinese, they were talking about Lt. Dan and Forest Gump. Kid Rock (Bob) and I caught each other’s eye and said with a nod, “Hey, how’s it going man?” We reached out shook hands and Gary Sinese did the same. On this type of excursion there was no “star power” at play. This trip was all about the troops and it was no big deal to pull my chair over to their table and get involved in the conversation because we were all going to Baghdad and that changes everything for those of us sitting in the bar at the Ritz. I must say they were both very cool and great guys.
We next had lobby call at 4:00 AM when we boarded buses then headed for Andrews AFB, went through military clearance and boarded a chartered NorthWest 747. As we climbed aboard we were greeted with glasses of OJ and champagne. That topped it off for me in that I didn’t go to sleep in my hotel room for the short duration we had there in Washington. One glass of champagne and I was feeling smooth on the edges and warm inside. Wheels up was at about 6:00 AM. We took a heading due East out across the Atlantic. (The actual route following the curvature of the earth runs you over the top of the globe near Iceland, Greenland and so forth.) Next stop Schiphol, Amsterdam airport. Well after 7.5 hours of flying, two movies, four meals, too many snacks, 90 glasses of champagne, some merlot, and I don’t remember what else, we touched down in the homeland of my great-grandfathers; Amsterdam, Holland. After some tea with a spot of milk, some caramel waffles, croissants, yogurt, and conversations with people whom at this point were strangers but in the days ahead would become friendly, and some possible lifelong acquaintances, we once again boarded the plane. After two hours of this comatose mid-way stop we lifted off for Kuwait City. (Sinese and I stood next to the pastry table and stuffed ourselves on Dutch chocolates. Then after gorging ourselves we stuffed our pockets to have some on the plane.)
During the flight from Amsterdam out over the Mediterranean Sea I went up into the cockpit and talked with the pilots. This was a chartered aircraft and the Pentagon had my passport for three weeks prior to this trip clearing us all for security so I guess they felt like it was safe enough to have an open cockpit policy. It was very cool. Aviation has come a long way since the days of Charles Lindbergh. These guys plug in a coordinate based on Global Positioning Satellite technology and the plane flies to that location. I understand a lot of what’s going on up there in that during my pre-musician college years I studied Aeronautical Engineering so apart from the advanced avionics it’s still an airplane with two wings, empennage, and a couple of yokes (steering wheels-which the pilots don’t really even have to touch except for liftoff and landing-and they wouldn’t have to touch them even then because even liftoff and landing is automated.) One big difference is the gauges in the cockpit now days are pretty much all computer video screens instead of analog instruments. (You know, little round gauges with needles pointing at numbers around a dial) I think during the flight most every one on board went into the cockpit at one time or another. It’s modern man at his best, using his advanced technology to do the things he can’t do for himself-like fly. But even better than that it’s using the technology to fly the plane for him, fly accurately to the destination with automated course corrections, performing redundant functions with consistency, and in the current modern age the autopilot can actually take off and land without the pilot touching the controls at all. All this fantastic design eliminates the element of human error, which is the cause of 99% of all aircraft accidents. These advanced technical capabilities have been designed to control every aspect of the vehicle. Some of the aspects which we take for granted and never think about when we fly in one of these miracles of man include monitoring and maintaining the inside air temperature and the artificial altitude pressure level inside the fuselage. While the plane is flying at 43,000 feet the air at that altitude is too thin for humans to breath and survive. In fact if the plane depressurized and you were instantly exposed to the air up there you’d pass out in a matter of moments. They say you have about five seconds to get your oxygen mask on. Remember a few years back the Lear Jet of pro golfer Paine Stewart depressurized at about 40,000 feet and everybody passed out. The plane remained on autopilot flying a straight line until it ran out of fuel up over the Dakotas someplace. Inside the planes like the ones we are flying now days the interior pressure is maintained at an artificial level of about 7,000 feet max. That way you can breath fine and there’s no danger of sliding off into the symptoms of hypoxia. At 10,000 feet and above the human brain starts to act drunk due to the lack of oxygen and the higher you go the higher you get until you finally pass out. When you’re flying a plane getting high is not a good thing. Well, you want the place to get high but not the pilot. Well, I’m not saying the plane should get “high” but rather high. Oh, never mind, you know what I mean. OK, enough aeronautical background and wizardry. Now back to the trip at hand.
7.5 hours after leaving Amsterdam we touched down in an arid, dry, very hot land near the cradle and birthplace of civilization. If I had been God I think I would have placed the Garden of Eden on the island of Kauai instead of these regions of Iraq. What on earth was he thinking, this place is gawd-awful. As I step off the plane I have never felt the outside temperature like it is here in the Middle East. 118 Degrees in Kuwait feels like standing in front of a large hair dryer turned up on HIGH (as in maximum. Just thought I clear that up after the discussion of getting high in the previous paragraph). This makes summer time in Arizona feel like a spring day. Experiencing this first hand tells you why the Department of Defense needed to pull the trigger on this war before the hot season. These soldiers would fade in strength quickly in full uniforms in the midst of this climate. The troops tell me it’s going to get even hotter in July and August. Our guys are very strong and in great shape but this climate is made for lying under a date palm tree with pretty girls serving you candied dates, iced tea, and fanning you with palm fronds and ostrich feathers. Those little bikinis they wear wouldn’t hurt the process either. Remember “I Dream of Genie”, she used to wear that cute little midriff number. One of those would be just the ticket I think. Now the fact that it all took place under a date palm brings up other possibilities as well.
(Current note: I’ve stayed in touch with some of these soldiers to the present and they tell me the climate during those summer months was unbelievably hot. Some days it pushed 135 degrees and they were wearing full combat gear. God Bless ‘em, I don’t know how they do it.)
We arrived in Kuwait City at about 12:00 Noon on Tuesday. After an 18-hour trip that departed on Sunday of this week we are finally here.
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