The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is on a swing through across the world taking USO entertainers to visit the troops.  The photos that follow are from the DOD website here and this article by JASON STRAZIUSO from the AP describes some of the trip which was part of a six-day, 14-show tour that saw the entertainers begin their day with a performance in Iraq..  Here are some great extracts with some photos:

 

• 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.

• Robin Williams, a USO veteran making his fourth trip to Afghanistan, 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."

• From Kid Rock: "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?" he said."Especially at Christmas," Williams said, "to let people know they're not forgotten."

• From Lance Armstrong: "I feel like it's important for us as entertainers or sports figures to step up and support our troops regardless of what you think or don't think of the conflict," Armstrong said. "The bottom line is that they sign up to defend our country."

• Finally, from Miss America Rachel Smith: 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. 

When you work in a bureaucracy as big as the defense establishment, especially inside the Pentagon, you don’t often get to see the fruits of your labor.  My office had a very small part in preparing some briefing materials for this recent trip.  To all the men and women out on the pointy edge, thank you, you are not forgotten!