Celebrities a hit with troops in Afghanistan

Photo By Capt. Michael Greenberger | (left to right) Actor Bradley Cooper greets Ronny, a patrol detector dog and his handler Navy Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Gina Pronzati outside the Pat Tillman United Service Organizations, a building on Bagram Air Field, July 15, during a celebrity visit to Afghanistan.  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

07.15.2009

Story by Capt. Michael Greenberger 

5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment   

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - Hundreds of troops were treated to handshakes, photographs, laughs and autographs, July 15, as the United Service Organizations' Summer Troop Visit made a stop at Afghanistan's second largest American base.

Actors Bradley Cooper and D.B. Sweeney, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn, NFL Hall of Famer Don Shula, and sports commentator and model Leeann Tweeden accompanied U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as he crisscrossed the U.S. Central Command area of operations to thank troops for their service.

The first stop on the trip was aboard the USS Ronald Reagan, an aircraft carrier currently underway in the Gulf of Oman. From the floating airport to the sands of Iraq to the hills of Afghanistan, the stars accompanying Mullen were all too glad to get out and do what they could for the troops deployed overseas.

"We feel like we want to give something back," said Shula, a well-known former coach for the Miami Dolphins. "We appreciate so much what our troops do, and we wanted to do something in return."

Travelling with the troupe to different locations presents many challenges in logistics. Afghanistan remains a very dangerous place to travel and most outposts are so remote the only way to reach them is by helicopter.

"The hardest part is getting the talent out to where they have to go," said Army Capt. Dena De Lucia, deputy chief of Quality of Life Programs for U.S. Forces Afghanistan. "Getting to remote [Forward Operating Bases] means getting helicopters and we got lucky this time because the 82nd Airborne graciously gave us two to use."

Planning these types of trips can be as harrowing as planning an air assault mission.

"It takes weeks and months in advance to plan something like this," said De Lucia. "It's a very arduous process. You have to contact camps and make sure they can support the visit and make sure you can get to where they need to go."

Travelling around Afghanistan was difficult for the USO tour, but well worth it to both the troops they visited and the stars themselves.

"All of the places we go are really important, but the smaller locations are very austere, where they don't have hot showers or necessarily a hot meal every day," said USO entertainment operations vice president Rachel Tischler. "So it's very special to bring that touch of home to those people that don't necessarily have those creature comforts."

Many of the hundreds that lined up outside the Pat Tillman USO on Bagram Air Field, July 15, were delighted that the stars could break away from their regular lives to visit them.

"It's great to have the support of celebrities over here," said Army Sgt. Linnea Biniak. "Them being here and showing support for the troops definitely raises morale."

Inside the small, yet elegant USO, named for Pat Tillman, the ex-NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger killed in Afghanistan in 2004, the stars struggled to give adequate attention to all the service members who had come to see them. Rather than stay indoors, the stars decided to "walk the line" outside, where they got to be more personable with everyone as well as make sure everyone who came to see them got an autograph or personal photo.

In addition to the "grip and grins" some of the troops got to have full blown conversations with the celebrities. Army Spc. Jonathan Grizzard was able to ask Sweeney about several of his films, including "Fire in the Sky," a 1993 film in which Sweeney plays a man abducted by aliens.

"That was the sweetest experience I'd ever had," said Grizzard. "I waited almost an hour but I would have waited two hours - it was totally worth it!"

"I've got several movies that people really responded to and it's very flattering for people to bring up a movie that's 10 years old and talk about specific scenes," Sweeney said. "I kind of get to re-live the process of making it and it underscores what I think my role as an entertainer is, to help people forget their jobs for a little while and get through the day a little easier."

Elsewhere in the line football fans shook hands and mugged with Dunn. Iraq veterans swapped stories with Tweeden from her last trip overseas.

Cooper was a big draw following his most recent hit film, "The Hangover," in which a group of guys take their friend to Las Vegas for a bachelor party, but wind up spending the trip piecing together their nutty night in sin city.

Inside, Shula shared moments with die hard sports fans eager for a glimpse of his Super Bowl ring and an autograph for their footballs.

Staying until well after 10 p.m., the stars made sure everyone had gotten what they'd come for before finally packing it in preparing for another day of travelling to more Afghan locations the following day.

"It's amazing for them to come out here and represent the United States," said Air Force Master Sgt. Raymond Stone. "Not many people come out here and I think it's great that they do it. They've got other things that they have to do, yet they've taken the time to come out here and show their support to us."

• Date Taken: 07.15.2009
• Date Posted: 07.16.2009 06:31
• Story ID: 36438
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF