Photo By Capt. Daniel Graves | James P. Connolly hands a patch and autograph to a Soldier who attended the Comics on...... read more read more
Subscribe
by Spc. Cassandra Groce
133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detach.
TIKRIT, Iraq – When Soldiers walk around with pistols attached to lanyards, they see a practical piece of equipment.
For others though it is a comedic opportunity.
"Is that a phone cord attached to your pistol? I mean, are you outside the wire in a firefight saying 'Wait a minute, I lost signal," asks stand-up comedian Dave Mishevitz.
Mishevitz was just one of five comedians to entertain 101st Airborne Division troops on the Comics on Duty World Tour. Included in the tour were Chris Alpine, James P. Connolly, Tom Foss, Reno Collier and Mishevitz.
"Comedians use the freedom of speech more than anyone else, so the people who defend that - we are willing to come out and entertain them anytime," said Foss.
Foss has been an XM radio and Bob and Tom Show regular. He is also said to have the highest "Laughs Per Minute" rate in the business.
Comedians ate dinner with Soldiers and then gave a two hour show complete with lots of stress-relieving laughs for the troops.
"I have buddies that are over here right now...and I have a military family," said Collier about why he came to Iraq. "I think we get more out of this than the people who come to our shows. We never get to do anything that is giving back to the community." Collier is a frequent of Comedy Central as well as the Blue Collar Comedy Tour.
The show concluded with autographs and patches being handed out to every Soldier who came. They also took pictures with the Soldiers and handed out a few CD players during the show.
This group of comedians has come to the Middle East before in support of the troops. Alpine has been to Iraq five times since the war began
Alpine boasts an impressive resume with appearances on HBO, MTV, Comedy Central and more. Connolly has been on HBO, Comedy Central, VH1 and has regular airplay on XM radio.
Connolly is a retired Marine and served a deployment during his career. Mishevitz, a contributing writer for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, has also been to Afghanistan.
The comedians also toured different places in Iraq and got to see hospitals and schools in country.
"It's nice to have a different viewpoint than the sound byte you have on CNN every night," explained Mishevitz. "They are doing a lot of rebuilding too. To come out here and see it first hand is incredible."
| Date Taken: | 08.04.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 08.04.2006 09:01 |
| Story ID: | 7388 |
| Location: | TIKRIT, IQ |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 45 |
This work, comics on duty, by SGT Cassandra Groce, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT