Contee (our driver assigned to us) drove us to Ali Al Salem Air Force Base which is an hour from the base we checked in at last night which is primarily Army and Navy (some Marines). Tonight is our first show in a nice theater that seats about 350. They have had our posters up for a while and it looks like we'll be sold out (but it's free so I guess snot really sold out huh?). And wouldn't you know it turns out the base chaplain has a guitar so it looks like this will be the one and only base in which I can do some of my guitar stuff. They don't want the chaplain to know I am performing on his guitar because I hear from the airmen that the soldiers tend to NOT laugh as much when a man of the cloth is in attendance!
It's funny too that they have a McDonald's here on the base but not your average looking Mac no. First off no ice which sucks but when you do buy a Coke they automatically give you two cans so that makes up for the zero ice tolerance. Also, met with the colonel here on base and presented him with the letter from South Lake Tahoe Mike Mayor Webber (which he read out loud to the other staff I might add) and earlier in the day at Camp Arifjad we met formally with one of the top brass of the base and also presented him with the same letter and the very moving sheriff letter from South Lake Tahoe Councilmember Kathy Lovell's husband, Les who is a Captain for the El Dorado County Sheriff's Dept. They also had an official photographer there who took a bunch of pics so hopefully can get those uploaded when they come in. We met with the base commander from Camp Arifjad and they presented myself, Scott and Graham with these official 'thank you' certificates all framed and presented by the US Army all official looking with these 'coins' in the shape of dog tags that are very special to the units over here so yeah, it is a real honor to be presented with these. After that the three of us were fitted with our Kevlar body armor which includes a vest and helmut to wear every time we are transported on the Black Hawks. Damn they're heavy too! Starting tomorrow too I will deliver the ten pounds of coffee (thank you again Starbucks manager Robert Hernandez) to those remote bases that could really use it. That's where I'll also be delivering the letters I recieved from the school children I got down at the radio station.
We fly out of Ali Al Salem on one of those huge C-130 prop jobs and from there get flown to the remote bases by helicopters. Part of our tour takes us to military hospitals as well and Scott told me to be prepared for the worse because this is where they first bring our soldiers in from the front lines so I imagine I will be seeing things I have never seen before. Everyone is thanking us for being here but I keep reminding them that we're just joke tellers and that it is them that should be thanked every day.
Also, remember when I told you a Major Sims (mentioned in the blog) from Texas was talking to Graham and me yesterday when we landed? Well, when I went back to my Shawshank cell there was a little 2 x 3 card from him saying 'thanks for being away from your family to entertain ours.' man, I almost cried after reading that. Won't be able to write much because the places we are performing at are very remote. Be well and please pray for these men and women who defend our freedom and also pray that I don't suck tonight in front of all these soldiers.
It's funny too that they have a McDonald's here on the base but not your average looking Mac no. First off no ice which sucks but when you do buy a Coke they automatically give you two cans so that makes up for the zero ice tolerance. Also, met with the colonel here on base and presented him with the letter from South Lake Tahoe Mike Mayor Webber (which he read out loud to the other staff I might add) and earlier in the day at Camp Arifjad we met formally with one of the top brass of the base and also presented him with the same letter and the very moving sheriff letter from South Lake Tahoe Councilmember Kathy Lovell's husband, Les who is a Captain for the El Dorado County Sheriff's Dept. They also had an official photographer there who took a bunch of pics so hopefully can get those uploaded when they come in. We met with the base commander from Camp Arifjad and they presented myself, Scott and Graham with these official 'thank you' certificates all framed and presented by the US Army all official looking with these 'coins' in the shape of dog tags that are very special to the units over here so yeah, it is a real honor to be presented with these. After that the three of us were fitted with our Kevlar body armor which includes a vest and helmut to wear every time we are transported on the Black Hawks. Damn they're heavy too! Starting tomorrow too I will deliver the ten pounds of coffee (thank you again Starbucks manager Robert Hernandez) to those remote bases that could really use it. That's where I'll also be delivering the letters I recieved from the school children I got down at the radio station. 
We fly out of Ali Al Salem on one of those huge C-130 prop jobs and from there get flown to the remote bases by helicopters. Part of our tour takes us to military hospitals as well and Scott told me to be prepared for the worse because this is where they first bring our soldiers in from the front lines so I imagine I will be seeing things I have never seen before. Everyone is thanking us for being here but I keep reminding them that we're just joke tellers and that it is them that should be thanked every day.
Also, remember when I told you a Major Sims (mentioned in the blog) from Texas was talking to Graham and me yesterday when we landed? Well, when I went back to my Shawshank cell there was a little 2 x 3 card from him saying 'thanks for being away from your family to entertain ours.' man, I almost cried after reading that. Won't be able to write much because the places we are performing at are very remote. Be well and please pray for these men and women who defend our freedom and also pray that I don't suck tonight in front of all these soldiers.
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