USO Holiday Tour - December 2007

 

photo creditDoD photo by Mass Comm Spec. 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen was joined by Robin Williams, Lewis Black, Kid Rock, Lance Armstrong, Rachel Smith and Ronan Tynan.

 

Our son, Sgt. Jeremy D. Detwiler, serving in Balad, Iraq, was present at the USO (show) with Robin Williams, Kid Rock, Lance Armstrong, Lewis Black, and Miss USA. He told us that the USO show was "the best two hours" he's had since his deployment. As his parents, we just want to express our gratitude to the USO and all the incredible people responsible for making the Holiday Season extra special for all our men and women serving our wonderful Country. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

– grateful parents Dave and Judy Detwiler

 

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen of the U.S. Navy, embarked on an eight-day, seven-country USO holiday tour in December 2007. While touring various regions, Admiral Mullen talked to service members, met with senior officials and led a star-studded USO entertainment tour for armed forces on the ground. Joining Admiral Mullen as his special guests were Academy Award-winning actor Robin Williams, Grammy Award-winning comedian Lewis Black, multi-platinum recording artist Kid Rock, seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, Miss USA 2007 Rachel Smith and Irish Tenor Ronan Tynan.

During the trip, Admiral Mullen presided over many stops and events, taking time out to express his gratitude to service members for their dedication, sacrifice and heroism. He also introduced U.S. troops to the lineup of famous faces. As a part of their salute to men and women in uniform, the A-list celebrities signed autographs, posed for pictures, offered up hugs, distributed giveaways, elicited laughs and provided a much deserved break for service men and women.

 

photo creditDoD photo by Mass Comm Spec. 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

 

 

Videos Footage

 
 

Blog from Tour Participants

 
 

 

photo creditDoD photo by Mass Comm Spec. 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

 

Read Recent Articles Featuring the Holiday Tour

 
 

photo creditDoD photo by Mass Comm Spec. 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

 

Items Distributed on Tour

 

In commemoration of their efforts, Electronic Arts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), the world's leading interactive entertainment software company, donated and shipped more than 2,000 video games to service members throughout the Persian Gulf region. The games, consisting of troop favorites like Skate, The Simpsons Game™ and NBA LIVE 08 that run on the PlayStation®2 and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment systems, the Wii™, and the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system, touched down just in time for troops to enjoy during the holidays. Fellow gamer, Williams, was the force behind the idea to distribute games, having recognized the need when he toured the region with former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Richard Meyers in 2004.

In addition to Electronic Arts, Inc., many other companies and organizations demonstrated their generosity in support of U.S. troops this holiday season. The National Football League gave the USO hundreds of free footballs to distribute during the Chairman's USO holiday tour, while the Lance Armstrong Foundation donated thousands of LIVESTRONG™ t-shirts and wristbands. Additionally, thousands of popular DVDs and CDs were also donated to service members serving abroad by HBO, Comedy Central, Universal, Pixar, Warner Bros. and Shangri-La Entertainment. Guaranteed to be a hit this holiday, all items were distributed to military personnel at the estimated 15 tour stops.