Military Personnel in the Persian Gulf Treated to Visit

Originally at: http://www.mysan.de/article44916.html

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Colin Quinn, along with fellow comedians Robert Kelly and Steve Byrne, will soon depart on a USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour to provide jokes and a break from the daily grind for service men and women stationed in the Persian Gulf region. During the "Bringing Up the Rear Comedy Tour," the trio of comedians will mingle and dine with the troops, tour a variety of job posts, perform stand-up routines and provide a bit of comic relief to those stationed far from home.

A USO tour veteran who has entertained troops in Japan, Kuwait and Iraq, Colin Quinn began his stand-up career 20 years ago. His creative shows at "Caroline’s" and "The Comic Strip" served as a warm-up for his hosting stint on MTV’s popular game show, "Remote Control." Roles in "Three Men and A Baby" and "Married to the Mob" followed. In the early 1990s, Quinn headed to the A&E network where he hosted "Caroline’s Comedy Hour," which featured both new and veteran comedians. Hired in 1995 as a writer and feature player on NBC’s sketch-comedy show, "Saturday Night Live," Quinn rose through the ranks and soon anchored "Weekend Update." After leaving the show in 2000, Quinn starred in the movie "Comedian." He also served as the host on "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn" on Comedy Central.

Making people laugh has always been Robert Kelly’s goal. He has toured the country, performing at numerous festivals, clubs and colleges. Additionally, he has appeared on several television shows, including "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit," "Premium Blend" and "The Carson Daly Show."

With appearances on "Last Call with Carson Daly," "Comic View" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Steve Byrne brings a wealth of experience to this tour. In addition to his television credits, Byrne has performed at many prominent comedy clubs including New York’s "Dangerfield’s," "Gotham," "The Comic Strip" and "Ha!" Currently, the Freehold, N.J., native is finishing up a documentary, which focuses on a night in the life of a New York City comedian.

For 64 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has brought a touch of home to America’s military personnel. The USO is a congressionally chartered, nonprofit organization and is not a government agency. The USO is supported by World Partners Avon Products, Inc., AT&T Corporation, BAE SYSTEMS, Bass Pro Shops, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Computer Systems Center, Inc., DisneyHand, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Military Channel, Morgan Stanley, National Football League, Northwest Airlines, Inc., Reader’s Digest, Sara Lee, S & K Sales Company, and The USAA Foundation. Other organizations, including the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-0600), have joined thousands of individual donors to support the USO. For more information on the USO, please visit our Web site at http://www.uso.org/.

CONTACT: Erica McClanahan Stone of the USO, +1-703-908-6471, or
estone@uso.org