RAMSTEIN AIR BASE – For Tech. Sgt. Timothy Covey and his family, a night under the stars at a free concert was the perfect ending to a tour of duty in Germany. With a PCS scheduled just three days later, Covey, his wife, Carol, and their three children bid Ramstein AB a fond farewell by enjoying a concert by the Eli Young Band.

The Coveys were among an estimated 5,500 fans who attended the free concert July 16 by Grammy-nominated Eli Young Band, who played for the Kaiserslautern military community. The concert was Ramstein AB’s prize for winning the Army & Air Force Exchange Service’s and Pizza Hut’s Wing-A-Palooza contest.

“We’re country music fans and also fans of the band, so we’re pretty excited to be here,” Tech. Sgt. Covey said. “Events like these are a great morale booster. It’s great to be able to come out and just relax and not have to worry about work.”

The day before the concert, the band signed autographs and handed out free T-shirts at the KMC Exchange during a meet-and-greet session. Fans began lining up hours before the event, and the band stayed until everyone received an autograph.

The Exchange, Pizza Hut and the 86^th Force Support Squadron teamed up to present the free show. Ramstein AB’s Pizza Hut sold the greatest amount of wings of Army and Air Force locations in Europe, earning their community the free concert. Airmen and families placed more than 4,400 orders for wings in February and March to win the show for the Kaiserslautern community.

“What a great event and what better way to show the Kaiserslautern military community how much they are appreciated,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Sean Applegate, the Exchange’s senior enlisted advisor. “The Exchange and Pizza Hut are thrilled to play a role in providing the concert for this wonderful community.”

The show marked the third free concert the Eli Young Band has performed for the military community. In October 2014, they performed for the overseas Wing-A-Palooza winner. Camp Schwab, Okinawa, won that contest, and the free concert was held at Camp Hansen with about 7,000 military members and families in attendance. Last year, they staged a free show at Fort Benning (the U.S. winner) for approximately 4,000 fans.

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The Army & Air Force Exchange Service goes where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives through goods and services provided. Exchange earnings provide dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs. The Exchange is part of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors, responsible to the Secretaries of the Army and Air Force through the Chiefs of Staff.  To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at http://www.aafes.com/about-exchange/public-affairs/press-releases.htm or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ExchangePAO.

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 25th, 2016 at 12:15 and is filed under Press Release. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.