A Fort Riley audience got the opportunity to “laugh out loud” during the Laugh Out Loud comedy tour Dec. 15 at Rally Point. The tour brought in the GI’s of Comedy, with headliner Josh Blue.
Blue is best known as the winner of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.”
The GI’s of Comedy are a group of veterans who have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military.
The group includes: retired Army Staff Sgt. Thom Tran; Air Force Maj. Jose Sarduy; former Marine Corps Sgt. Will C; and former Army Pfc. Tom Irwin.
Tran, creator of the show, started G.I.’s of Comedy as a way to provide support for Soldiers and their Families dealing with hard times.
The main motivation for creating the group, he said, was discovering healing through laughter.
Tran was shot while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, from 2003 to 2004, and lost his roommate two weeks before returning home.
“I spent my first year home in a drunken blur, angry. I didn’t smile; I didn’t laugh. I had nothing to hang on to,” Tran said.
Comedy became the outlet to release the pressures and stress, he said.
“The way it made me feel made me think this is … good therapy,” Tran said.
“So, if it’s good therapy for me, why wouldn’t it be good therapy for other Soldiers?”
The group also is an outlet to create awareness for veterans’ issues, said Capt. Jody Fuller, National Guard.
Fuller was the host for the tour and performed as a guest comic during the show. He also is a veteran and served three tours of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“Joining the Army gave me opportunities; I did comedy a lot while I was deployed,” Fuller said. “I just really enjoyed it … There’s nothing like making people laugh.”
The group has been performing for military audiences all over the country as part of the tour for the past few months. Fort Riley was the final performance in the tour.
Rally Point Bingo, however, hosts comedy shows once a month. The next comedy show is Jan. 5. Advanced tickets are $10 or $12 at the door.
For more information about future shows, call 785-784-5733, or visit http://rileymwr.com/rallypoint/?page_id=285.
By Calun Reece
1st Inf. Div. Post
Calun Reece | POST
From left to right, retired Army Staff Sgt. Thom Tran; former Army Pfc. Tom Irwin; former Marine Corps Sgt. Will C.; Air Force Maj. Jose Sarduy; and National Guard Capt. Jody Fuller exchange funny war stories on stage Dec. 15 during the Laugh Out Loud comedy tour at Rally Point. The tour brought in the GIs of Comedy to provide Soldiers support through laughter.
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