You know , Vanbags , I almost never see foreign numberplates here in 5 years of being in Madrid . Sometimes , maybe , a Portuguese one but nothing else and so if your car has US numberplates then it will be very noticeable ! It would also depend on where you live in Madrid . If it was somewhere like Getafe or Alcorcon then it would be a bigger risk than , say , upmarket areas such as La Moraleja or Goya .
Well now that explains the picture on your facebook account ! He must be a fairly high rank with all those colours on his lapel !
I have friends in the USAF and when they were stationed for a few years in England , the military arranged for the whole move from Texas ... including a car . That´s very impressive ( and respectful since they´d served time in Afghanistan ) of the US military . I look forward , maybe , to meeting you guys one day here in Madrid .
By the way , when I stayed on an army base ( NATO ) in Germany my friend who was an officer had her car from England .. Every morning we had to check under the car for possible explosives . I think , now , in Germany they change the license plates to look like they´re from Germany .
I also have a friend here from the Spanish Army . He´s a staff seargeant .. 29 years old .. very smart .. Maybe you´ll get to meet him too !