"Here
are some pictures from the show.
She was a last minute addition
on about 13 December. She has
a great personality and she performed
like she had been doing these
shows for years. She was a perfect
fit and we were so lucky to have
her and the others perform for
us.
"Traylor
told jokes, played the part of
teasing the guys... Which she
did well. Pretty much a host for
all the acts and a good side-kick
to Al Franken. Overall sharing
her stories of her trip and how
it changed her outlook on life
to a degree. Visiting troops in
the hospital will affect any human
being emotionally."
Doug
is looking forward to the first
Monk novel, Mr. Monk Goes
to the Firehouse, which is
told from Natalie's viewpoint.
"Whenever you are done with
your copies we could use some
over in the desert or ask the
book companies to ship some over
to us. Thanks!"
If
you'd like to send a Monk novel
to someone in the military overseas,
drop me an email. |
Click on photos
to enlarge
|
|
|
Traylor on stage |
Traylor Howard,
Major Doug and Al Franken |
Traylor gets a
military escort |
Traylor trashes
celebrities for shutting out troops
By Marilyn Beck
and Stacy Jenel Smith
Article Launched: 02/24/2006 12:00 AM
PST
The
L.A. Daily News
"Monk" actress Traylor Howard
takes the entertainment community to
task for not stepping up in larger numbers
to support our troops in Iraq.
"I think it's such a shame Hollywood
people won't go over there," says
Howard, who traveled to Iraq, Kuwait
and Afghanistan in December with Al
Franken and a USO troupe. "They're
risking their lives, haven't seen their
wives, husbands and families ... They
need people to come, and they deserve
that. I'm not brave, and I'm the most
nonpolitical, nonwar person, but I felt
there was no reason not to go. And it
doesn't matter what your political viewpoints
are - Al is very left - you're just
supporting the soldiers."
She says the trip was "the most
fulfilling thing I've ever done in my
life. I was so impressed with those
soldiers, and they were so appreciative.
One sergeant major who'd served about
30 years and was getting ready to retire
said at one show, 'It's worth being
here for 22 months just for tonight.'
And when the r&b singer Rachel pulled
this young soldier up on stage to dance
with her in Afghanistan, he turned out
to be this wonderful dancer. When tears
started coming down his face just from
being able to express himself in that
way, I was just like, 'Take my blood,
take whatever you need ... You just
want to hug and kiss every single one
of them."
Howard admits the whole experience "was
surreal. We stayed at Saddam Hussein's
palace, which has been turned into a
headquarters, for three days. We were
wearing helmets and bulletproof vests
the whole time, flying in Black Hawks
with the doors open... And we went to
hospitals and saw horrible things. Normally
I don't have the stomach for that, but
all the people are just so happy you're
there, actually giving them hope."
She adds, "I never felt unsafe.
You're on military bases the whole time,
and they're very protective and look
out for you. I'd go back tomorrow."
