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'Best USO tour show ever' visits Anaconda

Photo By Staff Sgt. Engels Tejeda | A Dallas Cowboys cheerleader challenges Pfc. Carlos Nanez to remain completely at...... read more read more

12.29.2005

Courtesy Story

207th Public Affairs Detachment

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston delivered on his promise to bring 'the best USO tour show ever" to Iraq on Dec. 23 at Logistical Support Area Anaconda.

The Sergeant Major of the Army's Hope and Freedom USO Tour hit Anaconda just two days before Christmas and a crowd of star-struck servicemembers enjoyed two and a half hours of music, dancing and comedy.

The show's lineup included military leadership and top entertainers.

Among the leadership, Preston brought Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve Michelle S. Jones and Command Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps John L. Estrada.

"I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Feliz Navidad, or whatever holiday you celebrate â?¦. The reason we can celebrate that is that we are Americans, and in America we are free to celebrate whatever holiday we want," Jones told the crowd.

The entertainers included comedian and best-selling author Al Franken, TV actress Traylor Howard from "Monk," country singers Keni Thomas, Mark Wills, and Craig Morgan, the hip-hop band SoulJahz, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and a U.S. Army Band.
Preston said that every one of the performers and visitors had a special message for the troops despite their personal views on the war.

Every performer had a unique story about the tour. For some the tour has become an annual tradition. Franken has been visiting troops overseas every Christmas since 1999, and the event marked the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders" 58th USO tour in the last 27 years. Thomas, a former Army ranger who served in the Somali operation featured in the movie "Black Hawk Down," played a song he wrote about one of his fallen comrades, expressing feelings familiar to members of the audience. Howard, who was not originally a part of the show, had less than 48 hours to decide whether to jump on a plane and head for the Middle East.

As the show began, servicemembers hoped for a revealing extravaganza.

"I came to see Mark Wills," said Senior Airman Kaleena Schei, a data systems technician with the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron. "I've got to see Mark Wills. I hope he takes his shirt off, or Keni Thomas. He can take his shirt off, too."

Wills and Thomas kept their shirts on, perhaps because of the chilly weather. Still, things did get hot on stage. Franken devised a scheme to get an airman a kiss on the lips from Howard, the cheerleaders challenged the ability of two servicemembers to keep their whole body at parade rest while they danced around them, and Morgan danced at close intervals with a fan on stage.

Meanwhile, Franken impersonated ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, and cracked jokes throughout the night about U.S. military service in Iraq. Franken warned Howard to be careful with what she ate while on tour because 'so far I've had six Army MREs and none of them have had an exit strategy."

Anaconda was the last stop of the 12-day tour, which visited servicemembers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait.