He and Erwin-Spencer had flown from Washington, D.C., to Baghdad with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen; Mullen’s wife, Deborah; Lance Armstrong; and a group of other entertainers, including the comedians Kathleen Madigan and Lewis Black. “Sixteen hours straight,” Williams said. “I was put in a room at one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces, in an ex-hunting lodge built around a man-made lake. The bed was like Motel 6, but I had my own bathroom, one without the gold-plated toilet seat and faucets. I slept fine.” “The palace was cheesily plastered and junkily painted over,” Erwin-Spencer said. “I liked the big tents better.” Williams went on, “One time, in Iraq, we were caught in a sandstorm and had to stay put for a night. Eight of us, in one room. So much blinding, blowing heavy sand. Lewis Black cracked, if it rained enough it would turn the whole country into pottery. Lewis is incredibly funny.” The shows usually began with Williams doing his “Goooood mor-r-r-r-r-rning, Baghdad!” “So much of the audience were kids, just out of high school, eighteen to twenty,” he said. “They are so thankful, you feel the gratitude. There’s nothing else like it. They’re laughing their asses off and having a good time. You can be as blue as you want to be. At night, they come out with light sticks. It’s like being at a rock concert.” He went on, “Someone in Kabul told us how the Taliban had an Olympic-size pool with that high professional diving board. No water in the pool. They’d put people up on the top and push them off. But the troops never, never said anything political to us, and never complained. They are loyal to the people they work for, and they just go out and do what they do. Get out and kick ass, they say.” “No one ever refers to finding bin Laden,” Erwin-Spencer said. “He’s probably driving a cab in New York under the name of Sam Laden,” Williams said.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 12:05:44 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015