Day 7: The USO (part 2)

Well we've made it through the first week. Doesn't really seem like much of a milestone, considering the time we have left, but for me, it is. Not much has happened in the week, other than the normal deployment adjustments. Dad's gone; so the kids try to strut their stuff. I'm pretty good at keeping things under control, though. The kids don't really know how to act, they just miss their dad. It will get better with time.

I did get their report cards. So far both kids are doing great school-wise, with A's and B's across the board. N. still has her science project to do, but has changed her mind and wants to do some sort of fossil project. Her teacher thought her bug idea wasn't complex enough. Z. is doing alright, but I think he is having a tougher time with his dad gone, and will take more time to adjust.

And I did hear from D. From what I can tell, he is working non-stop. And he has to share a trailer with a guy who snores. Thankfully he is on a different shift, but being stuck with a snoring roommate can't be fun. He's working so much that phone calls and emails come sparingly. Down-time doesn't exist there. They even have to wear their uniforms 24/7.

That's why organizations like the USO are so important. Soldiers separated from families and friends and even basic American culture, need to connect with what's going on at home.

Unfornately I've come across some websites and blogs discussing American stars who refused to do USO shows for Iraq. Always the optomist, I am hoping it was a conflict of scheduling and not as a political statement. However, I find that difficult to believe in some cases. Take Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, neither of whom I found as refusing to go; I didn't find any soldier support whatsoever. Instead, they have staged hunger-strike style rallies with sometime actor/activist Danny Glover. Now, tell me....how does fasting for 24 hours bring the troops home? Perhaps, they should put their money where their mouth is and donate time and energy and maybe a little bit of green for returning wounded soldiers, families who've lost a loved one, or maybe to the USO who provides stations of comfort in many different places for soldiers, at home and abroad. Staging a hunger-strike makes a spectacular media stunt, unfortunately, it does nothing real for the troops.

But I digress. And I'm sorry if I offend anyone with this post. I am just a humble military wife who gets angry at the lack of real support for our troops.

Following the Sept. 11 attacks, some of the biggest names in show business jumped at the chance to entertain our troops. Jennifer Lopez and Brad Pitt just to name a couple. What we have today, is a far cry from that. "After 9/11 we couldn't have had enough airplanes for the people who were volunteering to go," Wayne Newton, the Las Vegas crooner who succeeded Bob Hope as head of USO's talent recruiting effort, told USA Today. "Now with 9/11 being as far removed as it is, the war being up one day and down the next, it becomes increasingly difficult to get people to go." Newton goes on to question the reason that celebrities have been afraid to go in that that it might be seen that they are endorsing the war. "And I say it's not. I tell them these men and women are over there because our country sent them, and we have the absolute necessity to try to bring them as much happiness as we can" ,says Newton.









"Mr. Vegas, Wayne Newton performs at a USO show.


And that my friends, is the point.

Ok, so Iraq is a country at war. Perhaps they have legitimate fear. "They're scared," country singer Craig Morgan, who was in Iraq on the USO's Hope and Freedom Tour 2005, told USA Today. "It's understandable. It's not a safe and fun place and a lot of people don't want to take the chance." But I challange that by saying, on a base with thousands of soldiers, where are you any more safe than that?

One blogger wrote something that puts this fear into perspective:" I suppose the stars of today consider themselves too good, and their political views too important to sully themselve by joining the ranks of Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Marlene Dietrich. Dangerous? Dietrich was a German refugee -- what do you think would have happened to her if the Nazi's had captured her -- and do you think she didn't know that?"

And also this quote: And scared? Please! If it is safe enough for our troops, I am sure they will be safe enough. If Bob Hope could do it, so can they!

Some of the entertainers still willing to travel are die-hard true believers - rock musician Ted Nugent carried a Glock handgun to shows in Iraq and said in a radio interview that he manned a machine gun on a Humvee. But many of the USO's regular performers are fierce critics of the war, among them the comic and star Robin Williams, who told USA Today, "I'm there for the [troops], not for W," he said in a reference to the president. "Go, man. You won't forget it. You'll meet amazing people," is his message to stars that ask him about the tours. Other critics of the war who regularly perform include the leftwing comedian Al Franken, and the punk legend and actor Henry Rollins, one of the Bush administrations most vocal critics.








Robin Williams clowns around with the troops.








Al Franken and on a visit to Iraq.






Henry Rollins poses with service members.


From the USO website FAQ page, the question is asked, How do entertainers get selected to tour with the USO?" The answer: If a performer has charted on Billboard or has a name that is universally recognized, he/she has probably been contacted by the USO. Political views don't play a role in determining who is part of a show, Powell (President of The USO) said. "We don't recruit based on politics. We recruit based on requests from the soldiers of who they want to see."

Once a die-hard Democrat, Toby Keith said he no longer affiliates himself with political parties as much as he associates himself with being American. Ever since events of Sept. 11, 2001, Keith decided it wasn’t about politics.“I’m here to support America and I’m here to support the Armed Forces,” Keith said. “Politically, I’m not educated enough on the issues to know why we came here (to Iraq), but it doesn’t matter to me. I go wherever American military families and troops are to try and give something back to them.”

“From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every one of you for my freedom and for putting your life on the line for me,”Keith said. "Everybody who wears the uniform is a warrior for me. My family gets to lay their head down every night and sleep in Disneyland because of what you do. American troops should never have to think for one second America as a whole is not behind them.”





Toby Keith with a crowd of soldiers.


Powell said he followed Robin Williams down a line of servicemembers as the comedian left Baghdad in 2003, three weeks after Bush had been there for Thanksgiving. Powell overheard a reporter asking a soldier to compare Williams' visit with Bush's.
Powell said the soldier replied: "The president's visit was really cool, but you know, sir, he had to come. And Robin Williams didn't.""And that," Powell said, "is the point."


So, not that I'll know any stars. Not that I'll influence them either. But I encourage them from a distance to see beyond the Rebublican and Democrat issues of their Hollywood careers, and see the real issue of the people. Some of the greatest fans in the world are in need of some morale. So, give your time, your energy, and maybe a little green.

Support your soldiers. They are Americans just like you and me.