Donning camouflage leggings and sparkling boots, country music singer Kellie Pickler took to the stage in Afghanistan on Christmas day to sing to U.S. troops.

The 27 year old “American Idol” finalist and winner of “Dancing With the Stars” is among America’s favorite current country singers. As troops spend their thirteenth Christmas in Afghanistan, Pickler visited them for the holidays to show her appreciation. While there, she shook hands, handed out gifts, took pictures, and even got a few of the fans involved in the singing while she performed for them:

But blonde bombshells and virgin eggnog in the midst of war aren’t all that struck U.S. soldiers as surreal during their stay. The bases of which the troops are in charge are slowly disintegrating; the U.S. is planning to withdraw them imminently and the chances of spending another Christmas there are reduced – especially if an agreement is signed with the Afghan government. Meanwhile, those who arrived ready for war, found themselves in a far different scenario than anticipated.

While waiting in line for Kellie Pickler on Christmas Eve, Spec. Jeremy Kortuem shared with the Washington Post, “We came here for the war, but we arrived just in time for it to be over.”

Spec. James Pegram also was surprised to arrive in the middle of more commercialization and less combat. “I was expecting more bang-bang and less TGI Fridays,” he admitted, referencing the surrounding fast food establishments, athletic arenas, and miscellaneous shops.

However, for the families of Americans who have lost their lives in the past ten days alone – like the six who perished in the Zabul providence helicopter crash, and for those involved in the U.S. embassy that was hit by rockets on Christmas morning – this deployment likely seems a bit less anticlimactic.

In the midst of such extremes, a country singer did what she could. She arrived to offer American troops a temporary escape from the painful reality of war, and they certainly were grateful. Perhaps not everyone present knew Kellie Picker’s name prior to her scheduled arrival, but they definitely do now.

Image via Twitter