Who's The Man?

Who's the guy with BlackBerry? None other than Colonel Ed Shock (Air Force)! He’s on the phone making it happen. We couldn't have asked for a better liaison/chaperone. Nice guy, fellow CrackBerry addict and so funny we might have him headline the next tour which will, of course, be called Colonel Shocker and Shockettes.

Leighann Lord is a standup comedian. January 31 - February 9 she'll be performing for the troops in the Middle East through Armed Forces Entertainment. Check out her other upcoming shows @ www.VeryFunnyLady.com. Join her on FaceBook. Follow her on Twitter.

America Runs On Dunkin...

But Baghdad Doesn't

Starbucks and Greenbeen clearly dominate the coffee market here in the Middle East. Dunkin Donuts is non-existent. That's why Mark Riccadona and I, major fans of the Double D, were so geeked when he sniffed out an imported bag at Falcon.

The plan for when I return home: Hug my Husband, pet my Dog, drink some coffee and not necessarily in that order. (Actually, Honey, if you're reading this: Major points if you pick me up from the airport with a Medium, light and sweet, in hand. 'm just saying.)

Leighann Lord is a standup comedian. January 31 - February 9 she'll be performing for the troops in the Middle East through Armed Forces Entertainment. Check out her other upcoming shows @ www.VeryFunnyLady.com. Join her on FaceBook. Follow her on Twitter.

Four Footed Soldiers

Whenever I go on the road I always miss my little furry guy, Rolie. I felt that very keenly when I met Dax, a pure breed German Shepard that patrols with the Troops at Camp Tarmiya in Iraq. They are an amazing group of young men who we had the honor of performing for and chatting with just before they went out on patrol.

Although Dax was on duty, he didn’t seem too put out by posing for photos. He graciously allowed us to scratch behind his ears and pet his tremendous muzzle that I would not want to be on the business end of.

While the military seems to have a preference for Shepherds, I extolled the virtues of Cocker Spaniels: small, stealthy and always up for nap. Although not inherently vicious, the enemy would be done for they ever dressed up like the UPS man.


Rolie himself is a bit too old for military service. He's too busy enjoying retirement, patrolling my kitchen, tracking freshly purchased luncheon meat. The military will have to make do with Dax.






Leighann Lord is a standup comedian. January 31 - February 9 she'll be performing for the troops in the Middle East through Armed Forces Entertainment. Check out her other upcoming shows @ www.VeryFunnyLady.com. Join her on FaceBook. Follow her on Twitter.

The Last Black Hawk ... Or So We Thought

We performed at our last base in Iraq - Al Asad - and will turn to Kuwait soon. It's amazing how fast one can get used to jetting to and from work in a Black Hawk. We logged a lot of hours in the air today and were all looking forward to getting back to home base. Unfortunately, instead of being on a direct flight we ended up on a local. A one hour flight turned into two and a half with extra stops for people, cargo and ultimately a sooner than expected return to Al Asad!

Don't get me wrong, travel by Black Hawk is way cool but coats, gloves, body armor, hats and helmets were not enough to keep out the bitter cold. (No heat and the windows up front are left open for the gunners.) I hope to someday tell this amazing adventure story to my grand kids, so I really hope my eggs thaw out.

Leighann Lord is a standup comedian. January 31 - February 9 she'll be performing for the troops in the Middle East through Armed Forces Entertainment. Check out her other upcoming shows @ www.VeryFunnyLady.com. Join her on FaceBook. Follow her on Twitter.

Middle East Comedy Tour Favorite Photo of the Moment

I can't remember if it's an M12 or an M16 either way, I probably shouldn't be armed.

Leighann Lord is a standup comedian. January 31 - February 9 she'll be performing for the troops in the Middle East through Armed Forces Entertainment. Check out her other upcoming shows @ www.VeryFunnyLady.com. Join her on FaceBook. Follow her on Twitter.

All Dressed Up & No Place To Go

There's a lot of hurry up and wait in the military. I didn't get to bed until 0200 hours, up at 0500, on the move at 0645 hours only to find that our flight was delayed. How long? Good question. On this kind of tour you just have to be patient and be flexible.

The hardest part for me is not really knowing what time it is. I'm used to good old fashion AM and PM, but the military runs on a 24 hour clock. It's fine up until noon (12 hundred hours.) At 1pm pandemonium breaks out. It's not 1pm it's 13 hundred hours. 2pm is 12 hundred hours and so on. I spend my time adding 12, carrying the one and dividing by eastern standard time.

(Photo: Felicia Michaels & Leighann Lord)

Leighann Lord is a standup comedian. January 31 - February 9 she'll be performing for the troops in the Middle East through Armed Forces Entertainment. Check out her other upcoming shows @ www.VeryFunnyLady.com. Join her on FaceBook. Follow her on Twitter.