USO feeds troops starved for entertainment

One of the harsher truths about life overseas for United States military personnel is that they rarely have all they need.

It isn’t just about enough weapons and ammo, bulletproof vests, Humvees or other equipment to help them thrive in combat. There are always shortages of letters and packages from home, of recreational opportunities and furloughs and of general contact with the free world outside of military bases.

There is also a dire need for entertainment.

The United Service Organizations (USO) has been on duty since 1941, making sure that troops overseas get a song and dance now and then, along with plenty of laughs. At home, most Americans recall images of Bob Hope regaling throngs of soldiers in faraway lands with wisecracks and mixing his schtick with a variety of supporting acts. The truth is that even when Hope was alive, and even though he worked tirelessly to provide leisurely fun, there were always long periods in which servicemen and women pined for the next USO show.

Unfortunately, that still holds true today.

Troops and celebrities overseas“My brother just got back from Baghdad; he was there for eight months,” said John Pray, senior vice president of entertainment for the USO. “This is just one person’s perspective, of course, but it lends credence to the feedback we’ve gotten. What we hear is, ‘We don’t care who shows up, just as long as somebody comes.’ ”

The good news is that the list of entertainers and celebrities who have traveled to military bases all around the world is long and getting longer. The names of those who have made recent trips include Stephen Colbert, David Banner, Jimmy Fallon, the Foo Fighters, Bradley Cooper, Craig Ferguson, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Sinise, NFL personalities such as Don Shula, Warrick Dunn, Will Witherspoon, Tom Coughlin, Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, Jeff Fisher and John Harbaugh, and many more.

And contrary to popular perception, the USO doesn’t just arrange for shows in war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan. There are Americans stationed all over the globe, they are all starved for show biz, and they are appreciative of all types of programs, from comedy, to handshake tours by sports figures and actors, to country, rock, hip hop and just about anything else designed to put smiles on faces and create joyous diversions.

“In 2009, we were able to get 27 shows to theater,” Pray explained. “Theater for us is a wide range that goes from Iraq to Afghanistan to Bahrain to Qatar, all of the places where we have U.S. troops.”

Smiling faces
One of the most popular in recent years occurred in June, when Colbert took his “Comedy Central” show to Baghdad for a week. The event featured the faux firebrand having his head shaved military style and prancing around in a tailor-made camouflage business suit.

Video: Colbert on Iraqi haircuts “It was absolutely fabulous,” Pray said. “At the end of all the major tours, we put together a book, a compilation of events. To look at the photos of the venue he was working in, and then to see the smiling faces of all the troops ... oh my gosh.”

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Colbert said he was thrilled to be there, even if the logistics of staging his regular production were somewhat daunting for him and his entire production crew.

“I’m honored that we went to do the show in Iraq and in the end we still all liked each other,” he cracked. “When you put pressure on a system like that, things can rattle off and go wrong. It was sort of a painful process to go through, but we got back way more than we put in. I was grateful for that experience.

“The gratitude and appreciation from the people there was startling to me.”

Support from NFL
The contingent of past and present head football coaches who visited the Persian Gulf over the past summer marked the inaugural NFL-USO Coaches Tour. Shula and Co. flew in military helicopters around the region — from large base to small outposts to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan — to shake hands and pose for photos with the troops. Shula was struck by how many military personnel lined up with cell phones to greet them and have their pictures snapped.

Video: Trace Adkins performs in Afghanistan “We wanted to show our troops that the people back home care about them,” Shula said. “Those young soldiers could be your son or daughter, your grandkids, fighting for our freedoms. We go about our daily lives here and forget that there are wars going on.”

Shula said the group was well-protected, but some aspects of the visit were somewhat unnerving, making him realize the daily perils that soldiers experience in the war zone.

Video: USO's 'Pro vs. G.I. Joe' “The thing that you really become aware of is that you don’t know who your enemies are,” Shula said. “They don’t wear uniforms. Our troops over there could be shot at from somebody hiding in a house or a building. And if they return fire they might hurt women or kids.”

The entertainment menu is varied. The USO reports that its main demographic involves men and women in the 18-to-26 range. But that covers a lot of artistic territory.

‘Put your life in perspective’
Rapper and activist David Banner said he loves the troops, but he was hesitant to agree to participate in a USO trip because he is not a supporter of the wars. “At all. By any means. And everybody knows I’m outspoken about the war,” he said.

Troops, send us your USO photosStill, his desire to give back overcame his reservations. Banner visited Iraq in January and said the experience had a profound effect. “It did as much for me as it did for them,” he said. “It helps put your life in perspective. From family to loved ones to friends, we take for granted the opportunity to wake up and call our mothers or see our kids, to be able to go to the movies. So many small things.”

Banner said the reception was overwhelming. “I had one of the bigger turnouts, from what I was told,” he said. “They were very appreciative. I was humbled.”

When asked if he worried about performing in a region where danger lurks everyday for the troops, Banner replied: “Some of the clubs I’ve performed in were more dangerous than that.”

Desire to do more
There is a downside to everything, of course. In this case, it involves the fact that the USO can’t do nearly as much as it would like to do because of budgetary restrictions.

“We are a big expense,” Pray explained. “The USO provides a wide range of services to troops and families. There are 14 different major services we provide. Entertainment is just one of them. They all cost money.

“We rely on a donor base, corporate or individual, for our operating resources. I have an adequate budget. I’d love to have more, which would allow me to do more touring. The No. 1 request from our troops is more tours. I wish I had more dollars to spend. Most of the funds are wrapped up in travel costs.”

In the meantime, the troops do their duty and wait to be entertained. They hope that wait gets shorter and shorter.