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 Benjamin Watson -- on a 12-day USO tour to U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

DAY 4 -- FOUR PLAYERS, THREE BASES (MARCH 8)

After a couple of hours of sleep, we were again awake and ready to go. When the NFL was planning this trip with the USO back in January and February, we told the USO we wanted an aggressive itinerary that allowed us to visit as many troops in as many different locations as possible. Well, the USO certainly complied. As a result, we have to rely on adrenaline rather than sleep and downtime as our source of energy. That is exactly the way our players want it.

Our accommodations last night could be considered Spartan at best. I have noticed a trend in the quality and comfort of our accommodations -- and this trend hasn't necessarily been in the right direction. We spent our first night at the Hilton in Kuwait City. Each of the guys had his own room, many of which looked out over the clear waters of the Persian Gulf. The next night was spent with the Army in Camp Victory in Baghdad. We stayed at Camp Victory in what the Army refers to as "hooches," which are effectively metal trailers subdivided into three separate living quarters. Each room has two beds and houses two men or women. The latrines and showers were in trailers that were a good distance away from our quarters. This resulted in our NFL Films cameraman, Dave Malek, getting lost in the middle of the night when he woke up to use the bathroom but was unable to locate his trailer on his way back. After wandering around for twenty minutes and testing countless doors, Dave finally found his home for the night.

Last night at Haditha Dam, we had our most modest living quarters yet. All nine men in the NFL-USO party were put in one barracks-style room with five bunk beds. When we entered our room, none of the beds had any sheets, pillows or blankets on them. This led me to inquire to our Marine P.O.C. (point of contact) whether we would be receiving sheets for the beds. He shook his head to indicate no and then quickly left. Shelton and Alge got quite a kick out of this. They ribbed me a bit by exclaiming, "Sheets? Sheets? Sheets?!" in a tone intentionally reminiscent of the one that Jim Mora, Sr. used in his oft-replayed press conference of a number of years ago when he was asked about his team’s playoff chances.

The guys didn't blink, though, at the modesty of our quarters. Despite sleeping on thin, worn mattresses with no linens or pillows, I didn't hear one complaint. These four guys realize that they have it easy compared to the Marines who are stationed here.

Not just the players, but our entire traveling party for the NFL-USO trip has been exceptional. Our party has consisted of the four players and me; Jeff Anthony of the USO, a former Marine and veteran of two NFL tours and countless others; Dave Malek of NFL Films, who is capturing our experiences on video; Mike Theiler of the USO, a still photographer who is also documenting the trip; and Scott Past, a DOD official who has arranged almost all of our logistical details in the Iraqi A.O.E. (area of engagement). Without the labors and dedication of each individual in this group, our tour wouldn't be close to the success that it has been so far.

At 0900 hours it was wheels up in our two Chinook helicopters. We were destined for Camp Rawah, a remote COP (camp out post) in Northwestern Anbar Province, Iraq.

Rawah was another out-of-the-way outpost where the troops were thrilled to see NFL players, as it is very rare that celebrities or VIPS make it there. Captain Scott Hermann described why it is so valuable for the soldiers to receive these kinds of visits, "It brings a piece of home to us here. It makes us realize that folks back home are still thinking of us." About 300 Marines are stationed at Rawah, and every single one on the base got an autograph, photograph and/or mini football from the players. We also got to witness a re-enlistment ceremony as a gentleman who had been in the Marines Corps for nearly 30 years re-upped for another tour of duty with his fellow Marines.

We then had lunch with the soldiers at their DFAC. The "chow" at Rawah was some of the best that we have had in Iraq. The soldiers had a large outdoor grill in front of their DFAC where they had been cooking steaks, hotdogs, and chicken. Our four players had worked up quite an appetite after signing autographs for nearly two hours with the smell of charred steak in the air. Hence, it wasn't a big surprise for anyone when we found Alge in a deep sleep (which the other guys termed a "food coma") after lunch.

At 1300 hours, a new transport helicopter came to Rawah to pick us up and bring us to our next stop. This helicopter was a C-53 Sea Stallion, which required us all to get harnessed into our seats before takeoff. Will went up front with the crew and helped serve as a lookout for the gunners. While harnessing ourselves into our seats in the back of the C-53 made it seem like we could be on an amusement park ride at first, there was absolutely no escaping the fact that we were in a very real war zone. Our first stop was Camp Al Qaim, a base on the Syrian border in Western Iraq. Al Qaim was more built up than the last couple of bases that we'd been on, which provided an interesting contrast for us. For instance, the MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) center at Al Qaim had a gym that could service an entire football team. "Wow. They have a D-1 facility here!" exclaimed Ben Watson, perhaps remembering his collegiate days as a Georgia Bulldog.

The players did another meet-and-greet at Al Qaim and then took a quick tour around the camp to visit with those who weren't able to make it over to the MWR center for an autograph. We also received a briefing from a Marine sergeant who had been brought in from Quantico, Virginia to help optimize the operations at Al Qaim. The sergeant told us that the Department of Defense would not have brought the USO tour to Al Qaim about a year ago, but such considerable progress had been made in the area over the past year that it was now a relatively safe area.

It was then back aboard our Sea Stallion chopper for a rather lengthy flight to our next destination, Korean Village. The location, which is situated in the far western part of Iraq near the Jordanian border, received its name due to the fact that Saddam Hussein brought laborers from Korea to Iraq in the 1980s to build his national highway system. Korean Village consists of a handful of concrete buildings on the main highway out of the country to Syria.

With a few minutes before it was time to grab some chow, I asked Ben Watson to share some of his thoughts on Iraq so far:

Real. I don't care how much MSNBC, CNN or FOX NEWS you watch. I don't care how many times the words "Iraq" or "Fallujah" or "Baghdad" go across the ticker coupled with "insurgents," "firefights" and "casualties." I don't care how well informed one may think they are about Operation Iraqi Freedom. The reality of the situation is that you think you know, but you have no idea. I thought I knew. And I did: I knew the geography of each country. I knew all the important "strategic" landmarks. I knew how the soldiers felt about the war, that they all wanted to be out of here ASAP. As we conclude Day 4, the reality is that I have been forever changed. Ever since landing in Kuwait City, for probably the first time in my life, I felt utterly powerless. Though I am not enlisted in the Armed Forces, I realize that I am now a target. I have stepped into this conflict and it scares me. But I wouldn't give this feeling up for the world. We have been lodging on and visiting numerous bases scattered throughout Iraq. In talking to troops I have heard stories of surprise mortar attacks, best friends being killed, and the frustration of fighting an enemy you sometimes can't even see. It is a humbling experience. You know it's bad when you are touring a base with a soldier and he tells you to spread out from the group to avoid mass casualties from a hit. Real. I'm thinking -- how do you live and mentally operate under the reality that each step could be your last? That someone out there would love nothing more than to blow you to pieces. In spite of it all, there is an overwhelming sense of resolve to keep the faith and continue the course, whatever that course may be.

Three military bases. Four NFL players. Hundreds of troops reached. Another successful day for the NFL-USO tour.

(Photo) NFL players (in background) Will Shields of the Kansas City Chiefs, Benjamin Watson of the New England Patriots, Shelton Quarles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Alge Crumpler of the Atlanta Falcons witness a re-enlistment ceremony for Master Sgt. Michael Stephens of Miami, Fla., administered by Capt. Lucas Wood at combat outpost Rawah in Iraq, March 8.

(Photo) Will Shields, Kansas City Chiefs (right), laughs it up with Benjamin Watson of the New England Patriots (left) prior to boarding a helicopter flight at Haditha Dam, Iraq, March 8.