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Ex-Marine Drew Carey entertains troops in Baghdad
EFL/FU:It was a standing room only, bring-your-own-gun evening as comedian Drew Carey headlined nearly two hours of comedy for troops in Iraq. Carey and six other comedians performed two United Service Organizations shows in Baghdad for largely 1st Armored Division audiences Friday and Saturday, and another show Sunday in Tikrit for the 4th Infantry Division. Much of Careyâs performance, thick with Army jokes, brought loud cheers from the audience and even a few smiles from the assembled front-row brass. Careyâs only boos came when he announced that he was a former Marine. Some enterprising soldiers held up a large sign stating, âWe forgive you Drew.â Kathy Kinney, who played the makeup-heavy Mimi on TVâs Drew Carey Show, followed his opening, talking to the troops who filled in between helicopters and equipment at a large hangar at Saturdayâs airport performance. She received a large cheer from male soldiers when she explained one benefit of being away from home. âThe longer youâre here the closer the Olsen twins get to being legal,â she said. âDrew Carey Showâ fan and 1st ID soldier 2nd Lt. Katrina Gawlik said Kinneyâs performance was great, as was that of Vietnam veteran and Georgia native Blake Clark, whose act had a Southern twist. âHe talked about saying âfixinâ toâ and I can relate to that,â said Gawlik, who is also from Georgia. âWhen I start talking and say âIâm fixinâ toâ to people back home, they say âyouâre what?ââ The three nights of off-colored jokes contrasted greatly with the monotony of the troopsâ singular tan uniforms and areaâs sandy landscape. âThis gets everybodyâs minds off the war,â said Sgt. Richard Schnieder. âEvery day here is a Monday. This breaks up the routine and makes everybody happy.â Actor Bruce Willis and his blues band The Accelerators finished a Middle East USO tour last week, performing for 101st Airborne Division troops in Mosul. Actor Brian Dennehey and comedians from the Laugh Factory will be visiting troops at various locations in the region this week. Thank you. Posted by: Steve 2003-09-29 |
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