WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27TH AND 28TH – NASHVILLE TO CAMP HUMPHREYS, KOREA:
Had a 2:30 am wake-up call for a 4:15 am pick-up and 6:00 am departure from Nashville to Dallas/Ft. Worth and then on to Seoul, Korea. At least I got 4 hours of sleep last night. This is the 10th Anniversary of the Annual New Year’s Eve Improv Comedy Tour. Our “regulars” – Karri Turner, Dave Price, Michael Hitchcock, and Jordan Black are on the tour with new additions of Ben Warheit and Lauren Adams. Sandy Bondorowsky is with us handling production and donating the sound system again this year. Dave, Sandy, Lauren and Ben are all flying on American from Newark at 6 am and meeting me at DFW. Michael departs Chicago on a direct Delta/Korean Airlines flight at 11 am and Jordan and Karri depart LAX at 6 am on Delta to Seattle and then Seoul. Our shows will be:
Suwon Air Base – Dec. 29th
Camp Humphreys – Dec. 30th
Kunsan Air Base – HOME OF THE WOLF PACK! – Dec. 31st – HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Camp Walker – January 2nd
It’s going to be a great tour for the many men and women deployed to that region protecting us. The celebrities participating all donate their time to go over and say “thank you” and we all receive such an incredible blessing from these visits. This year’s tour is not sponsored by AFE as it has been for many years now. When we realized we wouldn’t be able to take the group on tour this year, Dave Price hustled enough sponsors to cover our airfare expenses. Thank you, Dave, for making this possible not only for the participants but for the hundreds of military personnel who will definitely be treated to some great laughs, hugs and lots of loving appreciation.
Frank – my normal “driver” – was supposed to pick me up at 4:15 am but didn’t arrive until 4:20 am and it was 4:25 am by the time we left my house. Even though I’m on American Airlines, he dropped me off at Delta so “Stan” my regular skycap could help me. Stan loaded my 2 bags on his cart and walked me in to the American check in counter. Panic attack – the line for Priority on American was extremely long and there was only one agent working that line! So, what’s the “perks” of being “elite” on American?
Stan said, “You just stand right there Miss Judy. I’ll be right back”. He went outside and got the American Airlines Skycap – who also turned out to be one of my “buddies”. After chastising me (nicely) for having Stan help me, he admitted he didn’t mind as long as it was Stan. He took my boarding passes, went behind the counter, printed out my bag tags and after giving both a big tip, I was on my way to the gate in less than 5 minutes! Glad I’m such good friends with all the skycaps because they are great people.
No problem at security and thinking that on a 2 hour flight, we would have some type of “meal” in First Class, I didn’t go into the Admirals Club in the half hour I had to wait before boarding. Big mistake! We boarded and everything was fine – full flight and one of the first of the morning. Of course, the plane had been sitting there all night and with temperatures way below freezing, the pilot came on and said we would be on our way as soon as the wings were de-iced. No big deal, right, because you’d think the ground crew would know this was going to be required for all the planes that had been sitting there overnight.
About 20 minutes later, the pilot came back on and said that the “de-icing truck” had broken down and they were sending another one. Then about 10 minutes later, he came back on and said that truck had run out of gas just short of our aircraft and they were having to send someone to push us back so the plane could be de-iced. That took another 30 minutes which meant we were leaving an hour late. I’m still wondering why someone didn’t just put some gas in the truck? I was having my second panic attack of the day wondering if I would make my connection in DFW. Fortunately, I always insist on connections with a minimum of 2 hours so even arriving an hour late, I was still fine.
The flight attendants came by with our drink orders and then walked around with these little packets of “cookies” (which had more calories and sugar in them than I eat in a day!) and that was our “meal selection”. I decided to “sleep” and forget how hungry I was only my seat would not recline—not even an inch. The pilot came on the speaker again after we took off and said, “Never have I experienced a ‘de-icing’ that took that long” and apologized for the delay.
I had about 40 minutes by the time I took the “tram” from Terminal C to Terminal D and since I was starving, I decided to go into the Admiral’s club for coffee and food. There was a tiny selection of food and a long line waiting to serve themselves. Across from that section, there was a door labeled “International First Class Passengers Only”. I asked if I could go in there and the lady at the door said I needed an invitation. I told her I was in First Class to Seoul and she suggested I go get an invite from the desk as they should have given me one. I went to the desk and informed that I was in Business Class. I said, “So there are only 2 classes of service on this flight, right? First and Coach”. The response was, “That is correct but we sell the seats as ‘Business Class’ so we can’t allow you to use the First Class Lounge section”. What the heck?
So, I eventually had a boiled egg and headed for the gate. Dave, Sandy, Lauren and Ben had just landed from Newark and were heading into the Lounge. Michael had checked in for his flight and was in the Lounge in Chicago. I didn’t hear from Jordan and Karri but assuming no news is good news and they made their flight from LAX to Seattle. Our “times” on the ground don’t match up so that I can call them.
We boarded on time and I was expecting a terrible, old aircraft like what American uses on most of their domestic flights (inherited from the U.S. Air merger years ago). Instead it was nicer than the Delta and United flights. The flight attendants were very nice and the movie selection was the best I’ve ever seen on a plane in years and years. There’s at least 8 movies I’d love to watch. And….you can start watching the movie the minute you are in your seat and everyone is still boarding! I watched “All Saints” with John Corbett (who I adore) and it was terrific. Turns out it is the true story about a church in Smyrna, TN where my son lives. I’m going to have to visit it now that I’ve seen the movie.
The meal was really good food. I ate and finished watching the movie and then my 4 hours of sleep caught up with me. I slept for 3 hours, then had some coffee and worked on this road report. Was able to log on and answer all my emails – which made me extremely happy! Then watched another movie. Decided to watch “The Wall” about two of our guys pinned down by a sniper in Iraq. Definitely not “relaxing”.
Thought I would try to sleep for one more hour and then work again until we landed. As soon as I laid down, severe turbulence hit and stayed with us for at least 20 minutes. Not once did the pilot come on and say anything about how long it would last or anything. Once the turbulence finally ended, I tried to fall asleep but one of the male flight attendants stood right beside my seat and talked to the lady across from me for another 30 minutes. I was furious. People all around them were trying to sleep and they were just oblivious!
And not ONCE on the entire flight did a flight attendant ask if I wanted something to eat or drink. I had to ask for a cup of coffee and a glass of water. If that’s the standard of service for First Class, I hate to think of what the coach passengers encountered. ☹
Decided to watch one more movie with Reese Witherspoon titled “Home Again”. They had to collect the headsets prior to landing but gave us “ear buds” and I was able to finish the movie as we taxied to the gate. Dave has “status” on American and had a representative meet our group and escort us through Immigration – which was a blessing! Lauren had been tracking her bags and one supposedly didn’t make it on the plane in DFW to Seoul. She was pleasantly surprised to find that it was at baggage claim! Michael had just landed and Karri and Jordan were clearing Immigration. Michael met my group at the baggage claim belt for Jordan and Karri. We waited a really long time for them to get through Immigration. All the bags arrived and we walked out of Customs to meet Lorenzo and two really sweet guys who had volunteered to help him with our bags.
The bus and truck were waiting for us and we drove for about 1 hour before stopping at a “truck stop” for a dinner. Most of the group either had Udon noodles or Ramen Noodles but a couple ventured out and had spicy Korean food. We drove for another hour and arrived at Camp Humphreys. Our rooms were ready and we got checked in quickly. Some of the group was going to get together and go over the shows for the tour but I went to my room, showered and am ready to go to bed. We have a 10 amlobby call for departure to Suwon Air Base tomorrow.
Jude
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29TH – PERFORMANCE AT SUWON AIR BASE, KOREA:
Typical of the first night in a foreign country, I slept for 1 hour and woke up thinking I had slept all night. Went back to sleep but it was COLD in my room. Got up and grabbed the extra blanket in the closet and finally warmed up. Up at 6:30 am to work out with my “bands” and enjoy having a cup of coffee from the coffee maker provided in our rooms. Showered and had a “continental” breakfast in the lobby. Lobby call time was 10 am and everyone was on time
We departed for the 45-60 minute drive to Suwon Air Base. This is a Republic of Korea Air Base and we have a very small Army contingency there — maybe 200 people – who rarely receive any entertainment. It’s been many years since I have visited there. First on the agenda was lunch. In our honor, they served breakfast items on one side and lunch on the other. They were making omelets which were a hit with everyone.
After lunch, we were given a “windshield” tour and took photos with the static display at the entrance to the base. We learned what an important part Suwon plays in our presence in Korea. Unfortunately, I can’t share what that “important part” is with you.
We ended the tour at their Recreation Facility and my group did a quick “mic” check prior to the doors opening. The base is on “half days” which means they get off at 2 pm. Since this is a Friday, the show was scheduled to start at 2 pm because most of the base population will go into “town” tonight. At 2 pm, we had a total of 3 people in the audience and I was really worried. However, our MWR host told us to wait until at least 2:10 pm to begin the show. She was right. The people started coming in at 2:10 pm and we had a great crowd.
Each show is opened by our 9 minute video intro, then Dave does about 15-20 minutes of stand-up. The audience was great and responded enthusiastically to Dave’s set. The Improv group performed a hilarious set for 50 minutes. We have two group members – Lauren and Ben – who have never performed with this tour and were delighted to learn that they are as awesome on stage as they are off stage. They “fit” right in with our regulars – which is important. As with every “Improv” show, there is lots of audience participation which means a lot to the men and women serving. I shot video for Facebook Live several times but kept losing the WiFi connection.
For the first time, we added a “Q&A” session which went over extremely well. The audience had some great questions for our comedians. Our visit to Suwon ended with a photo and autograph session. Since we ended about 1 hour earlier than anticipated, we were allowed to stop at Osan for some power shopping. Lauren found some skin care products that she was looking for at about ¼ the cost back in the states. I took Karri in a bag shop and as soon as I walked in, I didn’t even have to say “A Quality Bags” (which are knock offs hidden somewhere in the building). The lady just looked at me and said “downstairs”. Lauren and one of our BOSS volunteers joined us a few minutes later and I was able to negotiate some good prices for them. Can’t believe I didn’t buy anything myself.
For dinner, MWR hosted us at a restaurant off base. We have what I would call Bulgogi – meat grilled at the table with dozens of sides of “condiments” – then whatever you want is wrapped in a lettuce leaf. This was one of my first Korean dining experiences back in the very early 90’s. I remember that one of my staff members was on that earlier tour with me and he thought our host said “Bull doggie”. Since the Koreans eat “dog”, he refused to eat anything thinking that was what they were serving. Too funny.
Several of us also had Bibimbap – my favorite Korean food. My long time friend – Heather – who is now head of the MWR program and responsible for putting this tour together for us and her spouse Lynda joined us. Several members of Heather’s staff were there as well. I never have to worry about “logistics” when I’m working with Heather. No one loves the military and their families more than Heather and it shows in the effort she makes to ensure that they are provided with quality entertainment. It was such a fun evening.
We got back to lodging early – by 9 pm and I think everyone but me immediately went to their rooms and passed out – jet lag is pretty bad on this time zone. Call time tomorrow if 12 noon so maybe they will get “turned around” a little more each day.
Jude
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30TH – IMPROV WORKSHOP AND PERFORMANCE AT CAMP HUMPHREYS:
My night and beginning of my day did not go as planned…..
Once again, it was freezing in my room. I couldn’t figure out “why” my heating unit either blew freezing cold air OR turned off completely. There is a sign on the thermostat that says there is a motion detector in the room and the unit will turn off if it doesn’t detect movement and we are supposed to turn on the ceiling fan to “trick” it. Okay. Did that. Didn’t help and only made matters worse by having a fan blowing right over my bed.
I finally figured out that if I turned off everything on the thermostat that says “automatic” and bumped the thermostat up to 78 degrees, then the heat would stay on and the room temperature would stay at about 70 degrees! You don’t want to know how long that took to fix in the middle of the night.
Got up at 6:30 am with the intention of having a long workout prior to showering. Instead, I woke up to emails that had to be answered promptly and then the realization that my Blackberry KeyOne Android was not accepting or allowing me to make calls! To make it worse, anyone trying to call my room was getting a “busy” signal. It took me almost an hour to get all the settings turned off on the android (all of which will automatically reset themselves back to the wrong settings as soon as I turn it off again!) and fix the problem so I can make calls. By that time, there was only time to do a quick workout with bands and hop in the shower. Just as I got in, someone started knocking on my door and would not go away. I finally got out of the and tried to make the Korean woman knocking on my door understand that I was in the shower. She did not understand and I could see through the peep hole that she was still standing there. I got back in the shower and 2 minutes later, the phone started ringing. Got out and answered it and it was someone from the front desk saying the lady was at my door because my phone was not working. Strange because he called me on my room phone!
Heather had generously offered to take me and Dave on a “windshield tour” of the base so we could see the changes and expansion that has and is taking place. Unfortunately, with all the “drama” taking place this morning, there was no way I could accept her invitation because I needed to take care of “business” at home during the time period available. ☹ However, Dave is going with her. Jealous!
We all met in the lobby at noon and drove to the Flight Line Tap Room for lunch – which is also the venue where the show will take place tonight. We had all pre-ordered our lunch and dinner for today and Russ – who is the Food and Beverage Director – made sure we were served quickly and with excellent food.
After lunch we had scheduled an Improv “workshop” for people 16 years of age and older to attend. We had 12 people sign up including the Garrison Commander and his 17 year old son. It was such a fun, interesting hour and a half and there were some very talented participants. I was impressed with not only the attendees but how great our Improv Comedians are at “instructing”.
I did hit on the Garrison Commander while I had him captive to please see if he could pull some strings and get us into the new base exchange. Because we aren’t on “orders”, we can’t even go inside to look around. By the time the workshop was over, Heather had cut the orders and he signed them for us. We all went over for an hour of power shopping and I think everyone made a purchase or two or three. It’s the largest base exchange outside the continental USA and has everything imaginable….except Olympic caps which is what I was looking for. There are booths set up in the hallway that leads into the base exchange and those are operated by local Korean vendors. I did find the Olympic caps out there.
Next stop was the venue for a mic check and then dinner that Russ had catered in for us. Again, unbelievably great food and way too much for us to eat. The show started at 7 pm and it was a standing room only crowd. It was another great performance. The Commander attended with his wife which was very impressive to us. The group did another Q&A session after the performance and then took photos with everyone in line.
We were back at lodging by 9:30 pm and have a 9:00 am departure time tomorrow for Kunsan Air Base.
Jude
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31ST, 2017 – PERFORMANCE AT KUNSAN AIR BASE, SOUTH KOREA – HOME OF THE “WOLF PACK”. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Woke up at 6 am, worked out, showered, answered emails, grabbed coffee and yogurt from downstairs and packed up for the trip to Kunsan Air Base – my favorite military base in the world. I’m not supposed to have “favorites” but this one has had a tremendous impact on my life. The Commander of the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan inherits the title “Wolf”. Those serving with him are Wolf II, Wolf Chief, Phoenix, Hawk, Viper, and Falcon and several more than I can’t remember! Every “Wolf” that I have met as a Colonel at Kunsan has gone on to become a 1, 2, 3 or 4 Star General in the U.S. Air Force and are still very dear friends. The Wolf Pack breeds excellence and world leaders. Many of the former “Wolf’s” from Kunsan were serving at Balad Air Base in Iraq as a One Star General during my many visits there between 2003-2011. We are so lucky to be sharing New Year’s Eve with this elite group!
I was so busy this morning that I didn’t open my blinds until about an hour before lobby call. Received a huge shock to see that it has SNOWED overnight. Just a light dusting but still beautiful. All the rooftops are covered but fortunately the roads appear to be clear. We have about a 3 hour drive and a very, very full schedule once we arrive so hoping we don’t have any “weather delays”. I was checking the weather as late as midnight and there was no snow prediction. New Year’s Eve Surprise!
Our bus and escorts (Renton who took such great care of us in August when I was at Kunsan with Chace Rice and a new escort “Pierce” – both great guys!) arrived early and we left on time at 9 am. It was supposed to be a 2 to 2 ½ hour drive but the driver we had was “hauling ass”. We made it in about 1 ½ hours! I talked to Renton and got to know Pierce on the drive over. The Wolf and several members of the Wolf Pack were waiting for us when we arrived at the Wolf Lodge. So great of the Wolf to take time not only to meet us, but to have lunch with us and brief us on The Wolf Pack. The rest of the group already know why this is my favorite base and have fallen in love with it, too. Our rooms are exceptional – suites with a built-in washer/dryer combination in the bathrooms. What a luxury!
Renton said we needed to pre-order our meals because it takes a while for the restaurant to prepare everything. Everyone had already gone to their rooms, so I spent the short 40 minutes that we had before leaving for lunch, running up and down stairs between 2nd and 3rd floor and up and down hallways to reach their doors. I was late going down for lunch because I had to type up on the orders, but it still helped speed up the lunch service
Lunch was amazing as I knew it would be. I had the Chicken Bulgogi and it was so good, I’ve “pre-ordered” it again for dinner. Wolf briefed everyone on the mission of this base and some of its history. I love hearing about the history or Robin Olds and all the great accomplishments of this Fighter Wing. It was a great lunch.
We had a few minutes to run back to our rooms before driving to AFN Kunsan for an interview on Facebook Live. Lodging at The Wolf Pack Lodge is pretty amazing, as always. We have DV suites and the bathrooms have a washer/dryer combo in them! There’s a café in the Lobby and a small fitness room as well.
Facebook Live was so much fun and the beautiful female DJ conducting the interview was wonderful. Check it out on Facebook at “AFN Kunsan”. From there, we were treated to a “private” tour of the Air Field Radar offices and the Control Tower. I’ve been there many times but it is always a new learning experience!
Next on the agenda was a quick mic check at the Loring Club. It’s a beautiful facility and one that I’ve had entertainers perform in many times. We had a few minutes after mic check to go back to our rooms and then we went back to the restaurant across the street for dinner. Again, we had a few minutes to return to lodging and then it was “show time”.
The Loring Club had a HUGE spread of food – complimentary – for everyone attending the show. We delayed the performance time for about 10 minutes while the room filled up. Dave did his 15 minutes and got a great response. Then the Improv group came on stage and had another hilarious set. Bringing up audience members is always a big hit with the bases and an important part of their performance. Falcon presented all the entertainers with a beautiful wooden “Wolf” plaque which was a special treat for them. It’s definitely a very unique, prized gift.
Everyone took photos and gave out autographed photos after the show. There was supposed to be a band from The Philippines performing after our show, but they got “delayed” and couldn’t be there. But they did have a DJ playing music but The Loring Club pretty much emptied out after our show because all the different “Units/Squadrons” have their own “lounges”. Back when I first started coming to Kunsan Air Base, it was called “Houch Hopping”. I was much younger as my first visit was in 1999 and I “hurt myself” pretty bad sometimes. We visited The Dragon’s Den and The Devil’s Den and talked with all the service members there. Each facility has a “Heritage Room” which was so interesting to us. We only had about an hour and a half to split between both Lounges but it was a fun, interesting time for us. At the Dragon’s Den, they had a fantastic band performing made up of Airmen stationed at Kunsan. They ended their set with “Free Bird” and brought the house down. The perfect ending to their set for girls who grew up in the South like me and Karri.
We went back to the Loring Club at 11:30 pm and it was pretty empty. But, the closer it got to midnight, the club started filling up. At midnight, The Wolf and our comedians counted in the New Year and everyone toasted with Champagne. Celebrating New Year’s with The Wolf Pack was a dream come true for me and a career highlight. As hard as I try to explain the “uniqueness” of this base and especially “The Wolf” and leadership here, it’s impossible to do so unless you actually experience. Everyone in our group keeps telling me “Now I get it. I see why it’s your favorite base”.
Most of us stayed until around 12:30 am and then went back to lodging. The Club offered a complimentary “breakfast” at 1:00 amwhich is when the “Lounges” are required to close. Our escorts said the Club filled back up with everyone from the Lounges and then at 2 am, the Club officially closed. What a fantastic way to spend New Year’s Eve if you can’t be with your family and loved ones back home.
One very special moment for me was as our group all hugged and kissed each other for New Year’s, I hugged one of the Airmen and told him “Happy New Year”. He said it is the first hug he has had in 6 months! It reminded me of when I was in Iraq and I would walk down the autograph lines passing out photos to be autographed by whichever entertainer I had brought over. I made sure to give each person a “hug” – male and female – because we had learned how much they all missed that “contact” while away from home. It was a good reminder so I made my way through the room offering up more hugs for these men and women who risk so much in defense of the freedoms we all tend to take for granted in the U.S.
Lobby call is 12 noon tomorrow and after a lunch of traditional Korean Bar-be-que, and a visit to see the fighter jets, we leave for about a 3 hour drive to Camp Walker – sadly our last performance on this tour.
Jude
MONDAY, JANUARY 1ST – 2018!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! – TRAVELING TO CAMP WALKER, USAG DAEGU, SOUTH KOREA:
Got almost 5 hours of sleep, exercised, and walked downstairs to find a “healthy breakfast” at the lobby café. Dave and Sandy were there also and wanted a “hot breakfast” of something other than breakfast sandwiches. I sent Renton a Facebook Message and he responded immediately. He came over and gave us a ride to the Café by the Loring Club. Jordan joined us at the last minute too. It was close enough to walk but it is pretty cold outside. Not as cold as it is in Nashville tonight – 7 degrees and that’s WITHOUT the wind chill factor. Unbelievable. We heard there is snow in Texas!!
I got an egg white omelet and Lauren sent us a text while we were there and we got her an omelet “to go”. I was able to work for a few more minutes before meeting everyone in the lobby. We drove just a few minutes outside the base gate and had another incredible Korean Bar-be-que meal. It was as good as the one at Humphreys but much “different” as far as the side dishes provided.
Next stop was the air field and a “tour” of an F-16 fighter jet. The Wolf personally gave us the tour and was so patient in standing around and taking photos with us. We stopped by the base exchange afterwards in hopes of shopping at some of the booths set up by the local vendors but everything was closed. Since we don’t have orders for this base, we couldn’t shop in the Base Exchange either. Probably not a “bad” thing.
Our bus that will transport us to Camp Walker arrived at around 2:30 pm and we retrieved our luggage, loaded the bus and were on the road at 3 pm – exactly midnight in Nashville. I tried to call my family but the cell service kept dropping. Finally got through to Lindsey, Zac and Zoe but couldn’t reach Chris. Guess he went to bed before midnight!
The driver was good and the ride was smooth. We only stopped twice for “restroom” breaks and to buy snacks but it still took us a total of 4 hours to arrive at Camp Walker. We got checked into lodging which is very nice but I think The Wolf Pack “spoiled” us with the DV suites. We immediately left for dinner at the Hilltop Club where we will be performing tomorrow night. The club was closed and they opened it up just for us. Lauren and I ordered Chicken Anju – which we had never heard of but came highly recommended by the Club. It was grilled chicken with grilled carrots, broccoli, and cabbage and a sauce that we could order spicy or not. Lauren went for the spicy and I chose the “not”! It was really, really good!
Everyone was pretty tired and we were back at lodging before 9 pm. Finishing up my “day’s work” and heading to bed before midnight, I hope!
Jude
TUESDAY, JANUARY 2ND, 2018 – PERFORMANCE AT CAMP WALKER, USAG DAEGU, SOUTH KOREA:
What a day! I got up at 6:30 am so I could work out in my room and meet the group who were going to the Evergreen Club for breakfast before they left. I planned to just have a boiled egg and yogurt from the lobby breakfast area. The workout happened as planned but not the breakfast. No boiled eggs and no yogurt. Bagels, muffins, oatmeal, cereal, fruit cocktail cut….all things I don’t eat. But I didn’t have time to go with the group so I settled for a bowl of oatmeal.
I called Jack – our host – to go over several things, most specifically the 7 passenger van they took all 8 of us to dinner in last night. Dave had to sit on the console cup holder. It was a short drive but I knew that wouldn’t work for the 25-30 minute drive to Camp Carroll today. Plus, the equipment wouldn’t fit in the van with the passengers last night. He was able to get us two vans for all the transport today. One of my friends for Camp Casey and the Chase Rice Tour this past August – Mike — is now working here and I was delighted to see him this morning and have him with us today.
We departed lodging at 11 am to go to Camp Carroll. It was about a 30 minute drive and we had to stop at the front gate and get cleared to enter. The Korean lady working in the office was so excited, we thought she was going to have a heart attack. Everyone took a photo with her and then we went to the Food Court. Lots of soldiers were there eating lunch and they wanted us to mingle and take photos with them. However, we do not like to interrupt anyone when they are eating so instead we went across the street and ate at one of the base cafes. Afterwards we went by the Community Center to sign autographs but no one was able to the word out that we would be there. We left and had a “windshield” tour of the base. Afterwards, we drove back to Camp Walker, picked Karri up at lodging and went to AFN for an interview.
When we arrived at AFN, we learned that their system was down – something they said had never happened before. So, we went to the Hilltop Club for a “mic” check and learned that their PA system had blown up when they turned it on. Someone was bringing in speakers from another location to use for the performance. AFN came by the venue and did a “video” interview there.
We’re taking the bullet train to the airport tomorrow and won’t arrive in time to do any shopping. Our MWR hosts arranged for our drivers to take us into town in Daegu to shop at the Lotte Department store. I think everyone found what they were looking for – skin care products, clothing, food, and Olympic souvenirs. We only had a little over an hour to shop and really needed a couple more.
We returned to Camp Walker and had less than an hour before going back over to the Hilltop Club for the performance. Colonel Mann – the Garrison Commander – came backstage and said “hello”. He was such a nice man and everyone enjoyed chatting with him for a few minutes.
The show started at 8 pm and we had a good crowd. I spent the entire time Dave was on stage talking to Delta Airlines and didn’t get to see his show. We had been unable to check Karri in and were worried that something was wrong with her return ticket. Delta explained that she has been randomly selected for an “extra” security check and can’t check in until she gets to the airport. Bummer. ☹
It was a great final show in Korea and the group took photos with everyone afterwards. Colonel Mann presented everyone with his challenge coin which is always such an honor to receive. Then we had pizza in the back stage area and returned to the hotel a little after 10:30 pm.
Lobby call is 11:30 am tomorrow and we have a 3 hour bullet train ride to the Seoul Incheon Airport. It has been a wonderful tour to Korea and over much too soon!!!
Jude
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3RD, 2018 – KOREA TO NASHVILLE:
Got in a great 5 hours of sleep and then had time for a good “in-room” workout with the bands. Good way to start a very long travel day. I went downstairs and picked up some of the continental breakfast food and ran into Lauren doing the same. Came back up and showered and dressed ”comfortably” for the trip home.
The lodging is old enough that it still has the old “box type” permanently installed hair dryers in each room. I didn’t bring a hair dryer this time because I normally don’t need one unless we are staying in tents in a combat area. The type of hair dryers they have take about 5 times as long to dry hair. I compare them to using a cigarette lighter to dry hair because you can’t control the speed or temperature – it is permanently set on a very low speed and temperature. Unfortunately, mine did not work today although I used it as recently as yesterday. I grabbed my key and was heading down to the lobby to either borrow a hair dryer (very small chance that they had a portable one) or request an empty room where I could at least dry my hair. As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I saw one of the maids and asked her if she had one on her cart. She asked if she could come into my room, walked over to a control box on the wall, flipped one of the switches, and my hair dryer worked again. Obviously, this must happen quite frequently.
Lobby call was at 11:30 am to depart to the train station and everyone was on time. Our escort – Rob – met us in the lobby and was going to the airport with us. We stopped at the front gate for a quick photo with Colonel Mann as he “re-presented” everyone their coins. He had taken them back last night and had our names engraved on them!
It was less than a 30 minute drive to the train station. Everyone purchased snacks or lunch for the train ride and of course, the train arrived exactly on time. It’s a bullet train which means it travels at speeds of almost 300 mph and you can’t even tell you’re moving unless you look out the window. It was almost a 3 hour trip with multiple stops. I finished reading the draft of The Bellamy Brothers book. It’s a really great read and you should get a copy when it is released this Spring.
Dave got off the plane at the Seoul station because he is flying to the Philippines tonight to visit family and flying home on Friday. We arrived exactly on time at Incheon Airport and had a short walk to the terminal. We passed a huge area dedicated to the Winter Olympics which will take place here in a few weeks. This airport is always so clean and spotless. Karri, Jordan and Michael checked in on Delta for their flight to LAX via Seattle and Sandy, Lauren, Ben and I checked in at American Airlines. The line for security was very long and used up most of our “shopping” time we were hoping for at the airport. Then we had a short wait in the Immigration line and a walk to the train before finally arriving at our departure gate area. Some of the group went into the Lounge and others did last minute shopping. I opted for the shopping.
Our flight departed on time. Little bit worried about the Newark flight for the three in our group flying there tonight. There is a weather alert but hoping the snow holds off until tomorrow.
I watched 2 really good movies and ate “dinner” on the flight. Tried to sleep for a few hours but the turbulence was so bad it was impossible. I got up and started working instead. As with the flight over on American, not once did a flight attendant ask if I wanted anything to drink. Every time, I had to get up and go ask for it. Lauren said the same thing happened to her on the other side of the aircraft where they had different fight attendants. Then one of the flight attendants went into the lavatory for First Class (there is only ONE for the entire cabin of passengers) and stayed for over 20 minutes…putting on make-up and getting ready for landing.
We landed on time and the lines for Immigration were extremely long, even for Global Entry. I finally got to a vacant Kiosk, only to find it would not work. We all finally cleared Immigration and then the wait for our bags was ridiculously long. At one point, all the bags jammed on the belt and entirely shut down the belt. There was no one working the baggage claim area and about 15 minutes later, someone finally came up and got the bag jam cleared. He had to use a “key” to reset the belt so that the bags would start coming again.
The line for Customs was crazy long as well so Ben stood in that line while we waited for his bag for him because he doesn’t have Global Entry which uses a separate exit. Finally got through that area and had to go upstairs for the security check and go to the gate. Another LONG line and no lines dedicated for TSA Pre-Check. By the time we cleared security and rode the train to our terminal, there was only 30 minutes left before we had to board. Typical of our day, the Admiral’s Club was closed in our terminal.
American started boarding by “Zone” and there was a young man who bolted past the gate agent and started down the jetway to the plane without having his boarding pass scanned. He was dressed in a cowboy hat, cowboy boots and jeans. One of the other passengers had to go get him and make him come back and have his boarding pass scanned. He seemed surprised that this was necessary. When I got on the airplane, guess who my “seat mate” was! Yep – the young cowboy. Before we took off, he called the flight attendant over and told her his seat belt wasn’t working. He “showed” her how it wouldn’t fasten and I had to show him that he was trying to insert it into the wrong side of the buckle!
Other than that, there were no problems and we landed in a very, very cold Nashville….so cold that the schools are all starting late tomorrow!
This was another fantastic New Year’s Eve Improv Comedy Tour thanks to Dave for finding the funding and Karri, Michael, Jordan, Lauren, and Ben for donating their time as well as Sandy for providing the production system. Special thanks to Heather at Camp Humphreys for supporting me in putting together the visits to Humphreys and Suwon along with the support of her staff – Jasmin and Lorenzo; The Wolf, Wolf II, and Renton for the incredible visit to the Wolf Pack; and Jack, Mitzi and Mike for taking such great care of us at Camp Walker. I’m sure I’m leaving out someone and will need to send a separate “thank you” when I’m not so jet-lagged!
I will sign off now by sharing this wonderful speech that was given by one of the BOSS soldiers at Camp Walker when Colonel Mann presented our coins:
This coin that you have received is the USAG Daegu Commander’s Coin of Excellence. It is a symbol of our Garrison Motto “Make A Difference”. It is said that laughter is the best medicine, but a laugh can only be heard after you smile. As you all continue to travel throughout Korea and the rest of the world, we want you all to know that every smile and laugh that you bring with you is greatly appreciated. Safe travels to you all and again thank you for all that you do.
-SGT Ike Mathes
