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Comedian Carlos Mencia delivers humor to Joint Base Lewis-McChord

  • Published
  • By Airman Leah Young
  • 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  Bursts of laughter radiated throughout the crowd of more than 2,200 as Carlos Mencia, the man behind Comedy Central's popular "Mind of Mencia" television program, brought smiles to the faces of the JBLM community here Nov. 19.

"The goal of this concert was to let people know how much their work is appreciated," said Senior Master Sgt. Scott Terpening, 446th Recruiting Squadron Senior Recruiter.

"It's a great way to give back and say 'thank you' to the Joint Base Lewis-McChord community for all that they do."

The 446th Airlift Wing Reserve Recruiting Squadron sponsored Mr. Mencia's visit as part of his 'Tour for the Troops', in an effort to boost morale and give back to the military community as a whole.

The show entertained a wide variety of people throughout the Puget Sound area including civilians, Guard, Reserve, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Army and Civic Leaders.
Capt. Eric Tyler, 36th Infantry Division Intelligence Officer, from the Texas National Guard, attended the show with his fellow soldiers for predeployment training at JBLM. He and his fellow soldiers saw the show as a good chance to relax and have a break in the training routine.

"For us, this show is fantastic," said Captain Tyler. "It recharges our attitude and is refreshing break from the monotony of training."

The concert entertained many different types of people, both military and civilian alike.

"This is a good example of how families at this base are taken care of," said Brand Shanrock, JBLM Department of Emergency Services Assistant Fire Chief. "It's a great morale booster for families with deployed loved ones, or even a servicemember who just returned home."

After the show, Mr. Mencia shook hands and spoke with a few fans. While his fans were happy to see him, he was more impressed with the servicemembers he met.

"After shows, I meet with servicemembers and there's always some kind of cool sentiment from them to me," said Mr. Mencia. "I find it a little embarrassing. People are out here making the ultimate sacrifice and they're looking at me like, 'Thank you for what you're doing' and I just think, 'Hey, I tell jokes. What you do is on another level.'"