5 things I learned entertaining our troops
May 30, 2021
On September 11, 2001, our lives changed here in America. I will never forget getting my first call to go entertain our troops. At first I was hesitant because it’s not every day a Jewish American woman heads over to Afghanistan. My father who served in the Navy as a medic in the Vietnam War used to share his stories with me and even though I knew the great risk, I couldn’t help but adhere to my call of duty. Before I knew it, I was entertaining our brave military men and women in war zones like Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo. I then had the opportunity to spread my joy to military bases in places like Bahrain, Guantanamo Bay, Japan, Korea, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. I am forever changed by this experience and will never forget what all these men and women have done to protect our freedoms. Please take a moment on this Memorial Day to honor and remember the loved ones who lost their lives serving this great country.
Here are 5 amazing things I learned entertaining our troops.
1. Don’t tell your Jewish mom you are going to a war zone to do stand-up
Oy vey, I never heard the end of it. Now don’t get me wrong, I would never let me daughter go either. It’s just too dangerous; however, I was set in my ways and knew I had to do it for the greater good. Just make sure you call her EVERY DAY or believe me, you will get guilt-tripped.
2. Make sure you have no dependents when you agree to take this job
One of the reasons I took the job was not just for the experience, but because I was single at the time. And let’s face it, it’s really hard to find the right person in LA, so I had to go where the odds were much better. ;-) But seriously, I didn’t have a husband or children. Yes, I had my parents, sisters and brothers, but as an adult, I wouldn’t have made the same decision if I had dependents. As a civilian in a war zone, you are putting your life on the line. Even more harrowing, I had to sign a death and dismemberment agreement before I went. It’s definitely a choice you really have to think about before you go.
3. Be prepared for anything and everything
This gig isn’t your typical weekend working at The Chuckle Bucket in Nebraska. This is a god damn war zone. You will be riding in dangerous convoys and flying on Black Hawks and planes like a C130 that are basically the size of Texas, carrying tanks and trucks. I remember just eyeballing a military tank that I flew with for 6 hours that was held down by just a few chains. All I could think was “What if these chains break and this tank just wheels out of the back side of this plane?” No one wants to get sucked out of a giant plane. Oh, and did I mention I have a fear of flying? That sure didn’t help me, but with the help of Xanax and good comedian traveling partner, I made it through the storm. Also, make sure you have a lot of patience. The military doesn’t wait for you, you wait for it. Sometimes we had to wait hours or even days before we could catch the next flight to go back to the U.S.
4. Know your ranks
When you are performing for the troops, you get the opportunity to perform for anyone and everyone. Sometimes I’d be landing at a Forward Operating Base and be performing at 8 am to 25 marines with M-16 in their hands on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan and sometimes I’d be performing in the evenings to a hall full of 1000 soldiers of all different rankings. One of the benefits of being a comedian on a military base is that you get free reign to make fun of whoever is in front of you, as long as it’s good-spirited. Just make sure you educate yourself and know who you are talking to. Especially if they are high ranking. I will never forget one of the first times I was performing in Bosnia to a bunch of soldiers and the guy in the front row was wearing a lot of medals, but I didn’t bother to find out who he was. I jokingly said to him “Look at you soldier, you’re staring at me like I have a dick on my forehead.” The room went wild. I had never heard such uproarious laughter. After the show, I found out that was a five star General. Thank God, the General had a great sense of humor or maybe I too would have been sent to Guantanamo.
5. Be the light.
Some of the brave men and women have been at these bases for years and as time passes, it can really take a toll on the mind. They have seen everything. Even after being at these deployed military bases for only two weeks, I could see my own mental state change. One thing was for sure, I was sent there to bring joy and make them forget of their surroundings, even if it’s only for an hour. I took great pleasure getting to know each and every military personnel I could. I wasn’t just sent to bring laughter but to boost morale and I spent every moment I could doing just that. There is no greater gift than sometimes just listening. Every story was important and they needed to know people back in the states hadn’t forgotten about them. We all just want to be heard.
By Shawn Pelofsky - visit here site
