Robin Williams brings levity to troops in Afghanistan

BAGRAM, Afghanistan -- Robin Williams bounds into a bombed-out airplane hangar, his arms wide, his body cocked as if about to catapult into the crowd. It ain't Carnegie Hall, but no matter. Williams is ready to entertain.

"Good morning, Afghanistan!" he bellows, and the crowd of soldiers at Bagram Air Base erupts into cheers. Some clamber on top of shipping pallets, craning for a better view of the comedian.

"I had a lovely military flight, thank you," Williams says. "I love spiraling in -- nothing like that to make your colon go, 'Fire in the hole!'"

The soldiers laugh knowingly, and Williams points to the bullet holes in the walls. "And I love the lovely Afghan renovation in the wall!" An aide adjusts his microphone; Williams grabs it and drops into a stage whisper.

"I feel like we're at a golf match," he says, and mimics a sportscaster's voice: "Here we are at the third hole of the Afghan Open. We can't play the 10th hole because it's still mined."

On and on the jokes go, each manic gag getting a bigger laugh. After all, Bagram Air Base is a place short on humor -- a harsh, dusty place where soldiers work 12-hour shifts, six and seven days a week, in pursuit of an elusive enemy.

"These guys work so hard, it's good when someone like this comes over and shows support," said Sgt. Jason Gray, 26, of Philadelphia, Pa.

Williams visited Thursday as part of a USO tour that also included bases in Kandahar and Qarshi, Uzbekistan. The Army let reporters attend on the condition they not report on it until he left the country Sunday. Williams' manager had asked for the restriction because the comedian's family was worried about his safety in a war zone, Col. Roger King said.

Williams spent a day and night at Bagram. He didn't give a full show, but shook countless hands, ate dinner in the mess hall and signed autographs amid a stream of wisecracks. "Ah! Who's hand is that?" he squealed while posing for photos with a group of airmen.

At one point, he picked up an M204B heavy machine gun and struck a "Rambo" pose for cameras as hardened GIs guffawed.

The troops in Afghanistan have not had many famous visitors. Rocker Joan Jett played a concert here last month, and there was a show by Taps & Blue, an Air Force variety troupe. Outback Steakhouse sent chefs to cook a meal at the base in Kandahar, but otherwise there have been few special events to break up the long hours of work.

Williams' visit had some hitches. During the visit to the hangar, his manager insisted that no pictures of the comedian include a gun, evoking snickers from the troops. At Bagram, every soldier is required to carry a weapon always.

Still, the troops were grateful, and Williams stayed in the hangar until the last autograph was signed. After he departed, the soldiers headed back to work, many of them clutching signed photos.

"This one is going to my wife," said Chief Warrant Officer Todd Champagne of Fayetteville, Va. "It's nice to have someone famous here. It's nice to know they think about you."