Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Arizona Daily Star (Tucson)
December 21, 2007 By Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan — Robin Williams and Lance Armstrong took a swipe at the French, Kid Rock strummed "Sweet Home Alabama," comedian Lewis Black grumbled about the falling snow, and Miss USA told the troops to keep "kicking butt."
Some 500 American soldiers watched an all-star USO cast perform amid a steady snowstorm at a U.S. base in Kabul late Thursday. The stop was part of a six-day, 14-show tour that saw the entertainers begin their day with a performance in Iraq.
The audience of soldiers — bundled in hooded jackets and warm hats — stood in the snow before a makeshift stage waiting for Williams and company to arrive after the performers were delayed by rough weather. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was traveling with the group, took the microphone first, telling the soldiers it was a tough time to be away from home.
"We brought a few celebrities tonight to try and lift your spirits," he said before introducing Miss USA, Rachel Smith, to a burst of cheers.
Armstrong, a seven-time winner of the Tour de France, told the soldiers that the entertainers had gotten stuck in Tikrit, Iraq, because of a sandstorm and had to bunk in the same room.
Black started snoring 60 seconds after the lights were turned out, Armstrong said.
"Then Robin was above me snoring, so all night I was punching the bunk trying to get him to stop," he said.
Williams, a USO veteran making his fourth trip to Af-ghanistan, told the soldiers he woke up on Thursday in the desert sands of Iraq and closed out his day with snow in Kabul. "From sand to snow, Mother Nature is having hot flashes."
Then he took a dig at the French. "They're the only people who go into combat wearing a chef's hat. It's amazing," he said.
Rock, who performed on acoustic guitar and had soldiers sing the chorus to "Sweet Home Alabama," said he volunteers for the sake of the soldiers.
"I'm here for one reason — to entertain these guys," he said in an interview after the show. "To be a source of entertainment, give them a slice of home. How can you not come?"
"Especially at Christmas," Williams said, "to let people know they're not forgotten."
Smith, who was born on a military base in Panama and became Miss Tennessee, said she wanted to give something back because she knows what the troops are going through. She said the troops' work was invaluable.
"We wouldn't have the opportunities and freedoms that we have back at home if you guys weren't over here kicking butt," Smith said.
December 21, 2007 By Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan — Robin Williams and Lance Armstrong took a swipe at the French, Kid Rock strummed "Sweet Home Alabama," comedian Lewis Black grumbled about the falling snow, and Miss USA told the troops to keep "kicking butt."
Some 500 American soldiers watched an all-star USO cast perform amid a steady snowstorm at a U.S. base in Kabul late Thursday. The stop was part of a six-day, 14-show tour that saw the entertainers begin their day with a performance in Iraq.
The audience of soldiers — bundled in hooded jackets and warm hats — stood in the snow before a makeshift stage waiting for Williams and company to arrive after the performers were delayed by rough weather. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was traveling with the group, took the microphone first, telling the soldiers it was a tough time to be away from home.
"We brought a few celebrities tonight to try and lift your spirits," he said before introducing Miss USA, Rachel Smith, to a burst of cheers.
Armstrong, a seven-time winner of the Tour de France, told the soldiers that the entertainers had gotten stuck in Tikrit, Iraq, because of a sandstorm and had to bunk in the same room.
Black started snoring 60 seconds after the lights were turned out, Armstrong said.
"Then Robin was above me snoring, so all night I was punching the bunk trying to get him to stop," he said.
Williams, a USO veteran making his fourth trip to Af-ghanistan, told the soldiers he woke up on Thursday in the desert sands of Iraq and closed out his day with snow in Kabul. "From sand to snow, Mother Nature is having hot flashes."
Then he took a dig at the French. "They're the only people who go into combat wearing a chef's hat. It's amazing," he said.
Rock, who performed on acoustic guitar and had soldiers sing the chorus to "Sweet Home Alabama," said he volunteers for the sake of the soldiers.
"I'm here for one reason — to entertain these guys," he said in an interview after the show. "To be a source of entertainment, give them a slice of home. How can you not come?"
"Especially at Christmas," Williams said, "to let people know they're not forgotten."
Smith, who was born on a military base in Panama and became Miss Tennessee, said she wanted to give something back because she knows what the troops are going through. She said the troops' work was invaluable.
"We wouldn't have the opportunities and freedoms that we have back at home if you guys weren't over here kicking butt," Smith said.