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Comedian makes first Middle East appearance

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing public affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Servicemembers were treated to a United Service Organizations show staring comedians Carlos Mencia and Brad Williams Nov. 28 at the base theater here. 

Mr. Mencia and Mr. Williams entertained more than 600 servicemembers with two shows. 

Mr. Mencia is familiar with the hardships servicemembers endure. Having five cousins in the Marine Corps, performing for servicemembers is nothing new. However, this was his first show in the Middle East and he has plans to return once a year, he said. 

"After shows, I meet with servicemembers and there's always some kind of cool sentiment from them to me," Mr. Mencia said. "I find it a little embarrassing; people are out here making the ultimate sacrifice and they're looking at me like, 'thank you for what you're doing' and I just think hey, I tell jokes; what you do is on another level." 

He's wanted to come out to the Middle East for a while, but problems with content restrictions had put a damper on things. 

"I was thinking if I can't put on the show these guys want me to do, it might bum them out morale wise and that's something I don't want to do," he said. "I wanted them to feel good about what they're doing and I wanted this to be a positive experience for them." 

Coming to the Middle East to see servicemembers was an eye opening experience for Mr. Menica. 

"Unless you see it, you don't know. It's going to be a time to touch on the realness, the humanity of things," said Mr. Mencia. "The media refers to you as 'troops' and when they do that it makes everything benign; but when you see faces you start thinking differently. You just want to see the truth and make your own decisions." 

Above all, Mr. Mencia wanted to show servicememmbers a good time. 

"It's all about making them laugh," said Mr. Mencia. "I want servicemembers to remember that they're out here for a good reason."