Chairman's Holiday Troop Visit

It's that time of year again. Back home people are decorating their trees and houses. Stores are doing their best to bring in big sales. Everyone is checking their gift list and checking it twice. And members of the Armed Forces deployed in harm's way are continuing with their mission. But something much appreciated by the troops occurs around this time of year as well. We are frequently visited by celebrities and VIPs who come to share Christmas cheer. Bagram was the recipient of one of these visits just the other day. It was one of the biggest I've ever seen. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, and his Senior Enlisted Advisor, Sgt Maj Bryan Battaglia, came to Bagram with an entire entourage of entertainers for an evening of fun. Accompanying them were actress Alison Haislip, song writer Bridget Kelly, Washington Nationals pitcher Adam LaRoche, former New England Patriots tackle Matt Light, radio personality Nephew Tommy, and brothers Jep and Willie Robertson of Duck Dynasty. They also brought along dozens of Georgetown Cupcakes to satisfy our collective sweet tooth. The event was held in the giant C130 hanger, which is very close to my HQ. Fortunately, I was able to attend the pre-event social that was held backstage. This meant I got an opportunity to speak at length with both Matt Light and Adam LaRoche. I never realized Matt Light now has his own brand of vodka that is distilled in Newport, RI. After the social we moved to the section of the hanger where the show would be performed. There must've been 2,000 people in attendance - mostly military. General Dempsey and Sgt Maj Battaglia kicked off the event to the cheering audience. Then each of the visitors provided their own version of entertainment. The biggest hit was the guys from Duck Dynasty. I've never seen their show but it is obviously very popular with the military. After the main event ended the celebrities remained to sign autographs and take photos. It was a really great performance.

A little later in the evening I was afforded the opportunity to attend a small dinner with the VIPs. I chatted with Nephew Tommy, who sat at my table. All of our celebrity guests were having the time of their lives spending down-to-earth time with the troops. As the supper ended I spoke briefly with Sgt Maj Battaglia, who is a Marine many folks would know from his "color commentary" on The Military Channel. He surprised me with a coin. I then spoke a moment with General Dempsey, who I originally met near the conclusion of Operation New Dawn in Iraq. When I told him I was the Garrison Commander he said, "You'll probably be the one who turns out the lights in Bagram." I answered, "Yes Sir, I figure I did it in Iraq so I guess I can do it here too." Then, for the second time in two years, the Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff presented me his coin. It was a really great evening.