Photo By Spc. Cal Turner | Comedian David Alan Grier entertains the Soldiers of the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry...... read more read more
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By Spc. Ryan Stroud
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
BALAD RUZ, Iraq -- It was an unusually hot February day in Balad Ruz, Iraq, as comedians David Alan Grier, Kevin Avery and Kristopher Tinkle took the stage and performed for the Soldiers of 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, attached to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, outside the Forward Operating Base Caldwell Aid Station.
The event was a United Services Organization, and Morale, Welfare and Recreation comedy tour, Feb. 12, to help boost morale to deployed Soldiers in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08.
"It was really good, I'm glad they got to come out here," said Staff Sgt. Willis Moore, Company B, 5-73 Cav. "I like the fact that they are coming out here and showing their support."
"We don't get to see [shows] too often with us being on a [smaller] FOB," continued the New York City native. "It really helped build morale out here."
Tinkle, who is also a substitute teacher in Oakland, Calif., opened the show with jokes pertaining to his personal life and his work with children. Avery followed with very movement-oriented jokes the Soldiers could relate to, and Grier closed with jokes from his life in the spot light, his frustrations with the opposite sex and other everyday events in his life.
As the show concluded, the Soldiers were treated to a meet-and-greet session with Grier, Avery and Tinkle. Soldiers received autographs and got their pictures taken will all the comedians.
"[I] knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and David Allen Grier was nice enough to let [Avery and myself] be a part of it," said Tinkle about performing for the troops.
"When I got the phone call, I was actually on the playground with my students and I said I would definitely do it," he continued. "This has been a great experience for me."
Tinkle also said this was an eye-opener for him from what he had seen in the news as he finally got the chance to get the other side of the story.
"You know you're not getting the whole story on TV," Tinkle said. "Being out here gives us a better look at what [the Soldiers] are really going through."
"These are our fellow Americans -- we have to support them," Tinkle continued. "I'm only 158 pounds and can't fight, so I have to do something to be able to help, and luckily I have been given comedy, so this is how I can help out."
Before the show started, Grier, Avery and Tinkle took a tour of the small FOB, visiting Soldiers who would not be able to attend the afternoon show.
"It's also cool to go inside and see the guys who never get to see the shows," Tinkle said. "You can tell that it means something to them. And David is a real well-known, funny person, so when he walks into a room, you see that whole room light up."
"This whole experience has been great," he added. "I just wish we could hang out with the Soldiers much longer than we can."
Sgt. Justin Vincent and Sgt. Cody Smith, both of Co. D, 5-73 Cav., agreed the show was a morale booster the hard working unit needed.
"I thought the show was really well orientated and I think it definitely was a real morale booster," said Vincent, a native of Great Bend, Penn.
"It was a great show put on by the USO," added Smith, a native of Cheyenne, Wyo. "David Alan Grier, Kristopher Tinkle and Kevin Avery rocked!"
"It really was a good morale booster," he continued. "They were very funny."
"The fact that they came to Iraq and to FOB Caldwell, that means a lot that they came to us," Smith said. "We might be a small element and maybe not as big a crowd as they [might be used too], but we really tried to show we appreciated them for doing this for us."
"This really helps our troops," he said.
"It's nice that people support us and want to show support for us, and it's a blessing to have people like that in the world," added Vincent.
"Morale is a big thing," said Moore. "I do feel my morale is up and I'm getting ready to go share with the guys who didn't get to see all the funny details from the show. We have to share the [laughs]."
| Date Taken: | 02.12.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 02.15.2007 13:28 |
| Story ID: | 9154 |
| Location: | BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 321 |
| Downloads: | 177 |
This work, Airborne Soldiers Treated to Comedy Show, by SPC Ryan Stroud, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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