By David Krichavsky

The NFL is continuing this March its legacy of more than 40 years of sending players overseas to visit with U.S. troops. The NFL's Director of Community Affairs, David Krichavsky, is accompanying four NFL players -- Atlanta Falcons tight end Alge Crumpler, Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shelton Quarles, Kansas City Chiefs guard Will Shields, and New England Patriots tight end Ben Watson -- on a 12-day USO tour to U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

DAY 2 -- BAGHDAD (MARCH 6)

After catching a few hours of sleep at our hotel in Kuwait City, the guys were up at zero six-hundred hours and back on the road shortly thereafter.

We spent the night at the Kuwait Hilton, which is a launching pad for contractors and other personnel heading into or out of Iraq. By 7:30 a.m., we were at a Kuwaiti air force base where we waited for our C-130 to Baghdad.

The players already have formed quick friendships. Ben and Alge hit it off, as you might expect, due to their shared experiences as tight ends. Will and Shelton are both family men who have seen almost anything possible in their NFL careers.

The four players traded stories about teammates that they've had in common, mutual friends, great coaches they've played under, etc.

As the group waited for our plane to arrive to take us to Baghdad, we realized there were some Army soldiers serving in a security role at the air terminal as well as many Air Force members stationed there. Hence, we decided to do a quick meet-and-greet. The four players spent almost an hour signing autographs and taking pictures with the soldiers. All four players were popular, but Alge commanded the most attention from the group of soldiers based out of Georgia.

And, of course, everyone was in awe of Shelton and Ben's Super Bowl rings. Solider after soldier lined up to take pictures with the players and their "bling."

"You'll have one of those rings this time next year, Alge," shouted Lt. Jessica Unger, one of the Falcons fans from Georgia.

Luckily we were able to sign an autograph for every soldier by the time our plane arrived. We then boarded a C-130 bound for Baghdad.

I had been warned about the C-130s. During the NFL-USO tour in 2005, Falcons running back Warrick Dunn made the now-famous statement to John Hanson of the USO, "There are three words that I never want to hear again after this trip: C. One. Thirty." As soon as I boarded the plane, I realized that flying on a C-130 would indeed be quite an experience.

C-130s are known to be the workhorses of the U.S. military. They are the primary planes that transport both troops and supplies. Our particular plane was jam-packed with Army soldiers heading up to Baghdad and Mosul. These soldiers were very pleased to be joined by a group of NFL players. They have been deployed for seven months already. The deployment was supposed to end in four months but they had already learned that they would be extended an additional three months past when they were originally scheduled to go home.

Back to riding on a C-130 ...

One thing to know is there aren't "seats" on these planes. Just mesh benches suspended from the sides of the plane. In addition, it is loud -- very loud. The crew gave us earplugs when we boarded to protect us from the noise. Needless to say, there are no restrooms on board a C-130. The airman who briefed us before takeoff did mention "buckets" in the back, though.

Additionally, our entire group was fitted for body armor and helmets before boarding the plane. Wearing this Kevlar as we flew toward Baghdad on a plane full of Army soldiers made it very real that we were entering a war zone.

That was only reinforced when our plane performed a "combat landing," which entailed making a very rapid decent from a high elevation in order to minimize the risk of receiving enemy fire. Ben and Will had been invited up to the flight deck to experience the landing from the best seats in the house. Shelton, Alge and I were back in the rear of the plane trying to keep ourselves from getting nauseous and losing our breakfast.

After deplaning, we shook hands with the airmen at Baghdad Airport and then headed to the main coalition camp. After lunch with the solders at their DFAC (dining facility), the players toured Al Faw Palace and met with the troops working there.

Al Faw had served as one of Saddam Hussein's residences. It is a majestic structure made of fine marble and is replete with ornate chandeliers and other signs of opulence. The palace has been transformed by the coalition forces to serve as the headquarters of the Multi-National Core (MNC).

The commanding officer for the entire MNC in Iraq is Gen. Ray Odierno. Odierno asked to meet with the players. He is a big football fan and he wanted to thank the guys for coming all this way to meet with the troops.

Odierno ended up spending nearly 20 minutes chatting with the players. He talked about our recent strategy in Baghdad and some of its initial successes. But he went on to caution that in this battle, one can't rush to judgment too quickly as things are constantly changing. Odierno "coined" all the players before we left (with Army insignia coins) and we reciprocated by giving him a limited edition Super Bowl XLI coin.

It really is surreal being in Baghdad right now. As Ben Watson said to me as we were leaving the Al Faw Palace, we are in the middle of the most volatile place on earth right now, but it feels completely safe on this military base.

We ate lunch with soldiers who were merrily talking football and joking with the players, but an hour or two later some of those same soldiers would be patrolling the streets of Baghdad worrying about sniper fire from above or IEDs along the road. After the Al Faw Palace, it was on to the Camp Slayer MWR Center (Morale, Welfare and Recreation). And yes, everything in the military has an acronym.

We did a meet-and-greet at the Camp Slayer MWR Center. I was proud of the guys as they signed autograph after autograph, bringing the same energy to the last one as the very first.

We have one more meet and greet scheduled for this evening and then hope to have dinner with the troops again at the DFAC. Then we will get to bed and perhaps catch a few hours of sleep before another exciting day tomorrow.

Today was a long day, but it was worth it knowing we showed our appreciation to a lot of troops.

(Photo) NFL players Shelton Quarles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), center, and Will Shields (Kansas City Chiefs) chat with a member of the US Air Force Security Forces at Baghdad International Airport on their arrival Tuesday, March 6.