We mentioned back in January that Sarah Lewis, singer/songwriter of Jag Star, Knoxville's spirited modern pop-rock band, won the national USA Songwriting Competiton.

As a result of that triumph, the band has been selected to entertain American forces in the "'Stans": Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Qatar. They leave Monday for the month-long tour. Lewis is excited: "None of us has ever been outside our own country before. "We're all a bundle of nerves but this is an incredible opportunity and one which we are honored to embrace," she told Armed Forces Entertainment, who organized the tour.

The exact time and place of performances is being kept under wraps for security purposes, but the band will live in "tents and dorms" and visit with military personnel along the way. Knoxville radio station WOKI-FM will correspond regularly with the band by satellite for their morning show, and CNN is scheduled to film at least one of their live performances for a special television broadcast.

The band sees support of the troops as their patriotic duty: "All I can say is that our job as an American band that supports our troops is to visit our soldiers and give them a break from the chaotic lives they are living right now. And, to thank them for that. I can't wait to meet these courageous men and women." Good choice and good luck.