David Letterman brought his late-night show to Marines serving in Iraq on Friday, loosening up the Camp Taqaddum crowd with the line, “Anybody here from out of town?”
Letterman brought along a staff that included musical director Paul Shaffer, stage manager Biff Henderson, comedian Tom Dreesen and the band Off the Wall. With the help of cue cards held by a soldier, Letterman ran off a series of crowd-pleasers:
“Iraqi elections are in January. Hurry up and pick somebody so we can get the hell out of here,” he said.
And: “If I wanted to face insurgents, I would’ve spent Christmas with my relatives.”
The Marines, most of who have been deployed since late summer, welcomed the visit. “It almost makes you forget where you are for a little while,” said Gunnery Sgt. Ronald Trignano, 32, a tech-controller with Communication Squadron 48.
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Edited by RedEye staff (ritaredeye@tribune.com)
