Photo By 1st Sgt. Carmen Fleischmann | Army Sgt. Ryan Usher, with the 189th Military Police Company, Joint Task Force...... read more read more
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"Anybody here ever ate a banana rat?" The question may seem absurd as part of an average stand-up comedy routine, but here at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, the local service members simply chuckled knowingly and nodded in approval as they watched one of their own take the stage to lift their spirits.
Army Sgt. Ryan Usher, a Joint Task Force Guantanamo service member assigned to the 189th Military Police Company and a moonlighting comedian, took an interest in the entertainment industry at an early age. He excelled in theater and show choir in high school, and after graduation, took gigs as a wedding singer.
It was not until he signed up for improv nights, however, that he realized his talent for stand-up.
"[Entertaining people] is something I wanted to do my whole life," said Usher. "I just love making people laugh."
Back in his hometown of Duluth, Minn., he finally got to try his hand at entertaining a large audience by serving as master of ceremonies for a hometown tree lighting event.
After being deployed to JTF Guantanamo in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Usher took advantage of open mic night to try his act out away from home. In front of his seniors, peers and subordinates, Usher shimmied and shook without rhythm, all the while joking of his unfortunate dancing skills.
"I've always seemed to put a funny twist on anything that happens," said Usher. "I'm not afraid to make myself an emotional whipping post."
While he did poke fun of himself and his hometown, the young comedian also tried to relate to the other service members' daily responsibilities as well as share in their feelings about being away from home — in a funny way, of course.
"With someone being deployed here, they understand what we're going through and can crack on it," said Seaman Kaylie Gordon, an intelligence specialist with the Joint Intelligence Group. "He actually understands what we all do and that makes the jokes easy to relate to."
In addition to taking the stage at weekly open mic nights, Usher is scheduled to headline an upcoming comedy review for entertainment beginners sponsored by the Junior Service Member's Association. With offers already being handed his way, Usher hopes to continue to entertain the masses as long as they continue to enjoy it, and judging by the laughter coming from the audience, his last act is nowhere in sight.
| Date Taken: | 01.08.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 01.13.2010 08:52 |
| Story ID: | 43761 |
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| Web Views: | 570 |
| Downloads: | 248 |
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