Photo By Luis Delgadillo | Butch Bradley, right, and Steve Trevino, center, speak with Soldiers at Forward...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Luis Delgadillo
2nd Brigade Combat Team,
3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – For comedians on the road, rough starts and tough crowds are the norm - but when you can't even make it to the show on time, the odds are against you from square one.
If the comedians' late arrival wasn't enough, when they kicked off the show in the heat of the day, their audience was a mere 10 Soldiers who were likely just seeking cover from the sun under the shade.
Nonetheless, Scott Kennedy, Steve Trevino and Butch Bradley took to the stage, which consisted of a trailer and loudspeakers, March 24, at Forward Operating Base Kalsu and gave a driving comedic performance, which eventually attracted more than 100 passersby.
The performers, touring Iraq with the United Service Organization's Scott Kennedy Comedy Tour, have all made appearances on Comedy Central, the Home Box Office channel and various late-night network television shows.
Spc. Lindsay Flossi, intelligence analyst with the 2-3 Brigade Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, said she enjoyed the show though she was a late arrival and only caught Bradley's performance.
Kennedy, who opened the show to the initially small audience, was visiting Iraq for the 15th time as a comedian.
As he warmed up the crowd, curious onlookers began to congregate near the stage and before he knew it, Kennedy was standing before a respectable nightclub-sized audience.
Following Trevino, the last performer, Bradley, took to the stage and kept the crowd reeling with laughter.
Antagonizing the crowd and then backing off, Bradley's performance yielded the most laughs from the Soldiers, whose numbers had now grown to more than 100.
Kennedy, whose two nephews have deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq in support of the Global War on Terrorism, said he enjoyed touring smaller bases versus the larger bases because Soldiers show more appreciation.
"I have been out to FOBs before and sometimes the guys (Soldiers) go a whole tour without seeing anyone come out.
"This is the way I serve my country. It's the least I could do," Kennedy said.
| Date Taken: | 03.25.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 03.28.2008 17:40 |
| Story ID: | 17880 |
| Location: | ISKANDARIYAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 112 |
| Downloads: | 95 |
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