Colbert Report's First Show From Iraq

Stephen Colbert is now officially my favorite comedian. I checked out his first show from Iraq and it was HILARIOUS!

He kicked off the show with some stellar comments. Here are a few highlights:

- His staff took standard BDUs and made them into a suit. He looked surprisingly cool!

- During his monologue he referred to Iraq as "the country so nice we invaded it twice"

- He let troops know that he wanted to come to Iraq because he "always wanted to cook a microwave burrito in my pants"

Colbert also showed a few clips from his 10 hour-long "basic training." He dubbed it "Stephen Strong: Army of Me." I especially loved the Louis V luggage and the iPhone portion.

Later in the show he took time to interview General Ray Odierno, the head hancho in the land of sand. Odierno let Colbert know that his training experience was not at all realistic and that he needed to get a regulation hair cut to even be considered a trainee.

Colbert refused and then President Obama appeared on the screen. He first gave a shout out to our troops and then calmly gave an official order to Odierno to buzz Colbert's head!

For the record, I know that Colbert will miss blow drying his locks every morning but he looked pretty good with his buzz. He may even grow to like this new look!

The show was awesome and I can't wait to see what they have in store for us for the rest of the week.

Here's a little snipit of the show - and a shout out from John McCain.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando - John McCain
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Click here to see the full episode OR visit iTunes and download it. Proceeds go to the USO!

Stephen Colbert to Broadcast From Iraq!

I've talked about my likeness for Colbert before. He helps military brats and genuinely likes our military community.

And for some time now, he's discussed an upcoming trip to the Persian Gulf and this week it was announced that he really is going!

The Colbert Report has deployed to Iraq on a USO tour entitled "Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando." He's landed safely and Colbert will broadcast four shows from Baghdad next week, where he’ll be entertaining an audience of about 450 troops. Catch the shows when they air Monday through Thursday.

Comedy Central reports that the operation "is taking place at an undisclosed military base. The week will feature many segments including Colbert putting together USO care packages for the troops and 'shout outs' from notable figures in society."

Check out the announcement here for further info, including a list of his notable guests. Stellar. On a special note, they have also reported that proceeds from sales of "The Colbert Report" on iTunes during the week of June 8 will benefit the USO.

Here's a clip from his show, where he asks his viewers to do what anyone would do with this type of secret . . . leak it! Tweet about it, blog about it, etc.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Exclusive - Where and When Is Stephen Going to the Persian Gulf - Iraq Announcement
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So in the words of Colbert himself . . . Go Forth and LEAK! :) Spread the news and tune in!

NBC's Today Shines Spotlight on USO and Troops!

NBC's Today show took time this morning to shine a spotlight on military families across the nation. With a segment appropriately named "Call to Action," Meredith, Ann and Al talked about why our military troops and their families are so important to our great nation. Check out the videos below.

A heartfelt look into military families' lives when our loved ones are deployed . . .

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Ann's Interview with Jill Biden - remember that her son is also deployed.

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Here's Al's interview with the USO. Check out this care package assembly line! Brilliant!

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I was THRILLED to see the USO and our military community receive so much air time on our nation's best morning show. The USO is an amazing organization and they've been fantastic in supporting our community in the past and present.

Big thanks to Today for showing America's bravest and reminding our citizens to thank them for their service. Warm hugs to all military families around the world and safe thoughts and prayers to their deployed loved ones.

Military Pen Pals Are the BEST

To know me is to know that I love the Today Show. Seriously, I do.

This morning, as I pulled up the home page something made me smile. There was a Marine, with the caption "I love you too buddy."

I've placed the segment below for you to watch. It's about a little boy who had some trouble mastering reading and writing. His mom was looking for a creative way to encourage him and decided to work with the Adopt a US Soldier organization. Her son was assigned Marine pen pal Gy Sgt Balthazar Pineda who is currently in Iraq.

Their correspondence has made a true difference in this little boys life and the Today Show brought the mother and son on live today to share their story. The family explained how they have never met Pineda. He is still in Iraq and hopes to return home in a few months. He promised the family that they could meet when he returns.

Well in true Today Show fashion, the family got a fantastic surprise today. Pineda was patched in live from Iraq and the pen pals were able to meet for the first time via satellite.

It was a great moment. The boy was in complete shock. All he could say was how much he loved Pineda. Pineda responded, "I love you too buddy." :)

I think it's evident that the pen pal arrangement has also made a difference in Pineda's life as well. He has his own family and his own daughters, but I think that he saw the opportunity to make an impact in this little boy's life, and that makes him proud.

My favorite part of the segment - well besides the actual meeting, had to be the video of the school children creating care packages to send to our men and women in Iraq. That made my heart smile. If you'd like to help send some good cheer and support to our troops in Iraq visit the Adopt a US Soldier website, the Treats for Our Troops website, or visit a personal favorite of mine - the USO.

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Sesame Street Experience for Military Families

I'm always a fan of any company that the USO recruits to takes time out to thank the troops and their families. This year the Sesame Street Experience for Military Families traveled to more than 40 bases to put on an incredible show. I'm glad to hear the USO plans to continue the show next year and expand it to travel to more bases in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

The show is live - complete with many muppets- and is similar to the Broadway version, only smaller. A special tweak has been made for military families though . . . when Elmo sings "You Make Elmo Proud" he praises military kids for helping their parents and being strong when one parent is away.

The Sesame Workshop has paid special attention to military children lately. They have a special section on their website titled, "Talk, Listen, Connect." This section offers information, videos, posters, music and support for military families as they face challenging transitions such as deployments, homecomings, moves, and TDYs. By the way, the program is also bilingual.

As a military brat, I can personally say that this is amazing. I wish they had had this around when I was growing up. This program isn't new (it was launched in 2006) but I wanted to mention it because it is an incredible resource. So to the Sesame Workshop I must say - - - thank you, thank you, thank you.