Aeroflot is the Russian airline, and the word Aeroflot is loosely translated to “I’ll never complain about Southwest Airlines again.
They’re sticking out of the turret, mounted machinegun in hand, and I realize this is REAL. This is not some Hollywood backlot, I’m really here with the folks who lay their lives on the line.
How would I handle a heckler? I mean, it’s not like I can ask a Marine if he has or wants naked pictures of his wife…the guy knows 18 ways to kill me with his thumb, for crying out loud.
Then he takes a turn, and speaks directly to the 5 of us. He tells us that we are more important to this war than we realize, that we are all part of the same team, and that we’ve touched the lives of people we don’t know. He then thanks us for making the trip, and everyone in attendance rose in unison. I can’t speak for the other comics, but it was everything I could muster to fight back the tears.
60 hours of travel to get here, a million snafus, but it was all worth it to perform for and meet these great people, who serve their country literally with their blood.
Watching soldiers going for a jog with an M-16 strapped to their back gives an entirely new appreciation for exactly where we are.
I KNOW they’re not supposed to do that, but there we were; 5 comedians on a Hummer in Afghanistan, one wearing a Kevlar helmet, two with loaded M-16’s, and one holding the mounted 50 caliber machine gun. I’ve never felt safer in my life.
You forgot the tissue alert!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...but getting a standing ovation from 150 service men and women in a war zone was the greatest honor I’ve had as an American, and outside of the day I got married the best feeling I’ve ever experienced. I mean, we came here to thank THEM; they’re the ones doing the hard part of the equation, it’s my honor to perform for them, and they feel the need to thank us? Their response was overwhelming, and what made it almost indescribable was that it was genuine. They meant it. The Colonel meant it. I’ve always been a patriotic person – to the point that another comedian nicknamed me “The Star Spangled Comic” – but I’ve never been prouder to be an American than tonight.
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Seriously appreciative comic, scared to death and cheering up our courageous troops ~ who thank him (with just enough funny lines to disarm you for the next 'dang, he made me cry again' moment!).
Blurry screen alert!
