Sailor wins nationwide comedy contest

Operation Heal*arious crowned Navy sailor Geoff Grooms as its first of two champions Nov. 4 in its nationwide contest to find America’s funniest veteran or military spouse.

Grooms, who is stationed in San Diego, was declared the winner among six contestants in the finals held in Los Angeles at Bob Hope Patriotic Memorial Hall. Another six finalists will compete for a title Nov. 9 in Las Vegas.

After graduating college in 2014, Grooms joined the Navy and is now a cyber officer. Or, “as my grandfather says, ‘being a pansy.’”

In college, Grooms began his path into comedy. One night he went with some friends to an open mic night but no one built up the courage to try. Years later, on a first date, he was inspired by the comedians and decided to take a shot. His debut, a month later, had a few highs and lows, but he was hooked. As a paid regular at Mic Drop Comedy, Grooms can be found flexing his muscles on stage across the West Coast.

Ever since I got that first laugh, I’ve been rolling ever since,” he says. “That first night on stage, I had a lot of nervous energy. I had a few friends there. They were added support but there was that added pressure since I didn’t want to bomb in front of them as well.”

It’s been a learning experience for Grooms.

“One thing I’ve learned about myself from that first night on stage was resiliency,” he explained. “You go up there with this plan and if your jokes don’t hit well, you go back and think to yourself, ‘Why am I doing this?’ And you refine your jokes over and over. If I hit a wall, I will persevere and come back and figure out another way to do the joke. When tough things happen in life, figure out a way around them and go from there. ”

Much of his comedy relates to growing up as a military brat. His father served 35 years in the Navy and his grandfather was a Navy pilot for 20 years, including during the Vietnam War. “He was briefly a POW,” Grooms said. “Little does he know but he is about to experience those exact same conditions next year when we put him in a home.”

Now, at age 31 and single, Grooms’ act also weaves in family experiences, his religious upbringing, military anecdotes, dating stories, unique encounters and more. When news of the prospect of alien life was in the news, he asked his 9-year-old goddaughter what she thought. “’Well, you know what, Geoff, since you are not married, maybe you can find an alien who would want to marry you.’ So I told her about Santa Claus. And now I am no longer her godfather.”

The American Legion is among the primary sponsors of Operation Heal*arious. Be the One, the Legion’s primary mission, aims to reduce the number of veterans and servicemembers who die by suicide. On stage once again, comedy show participants and banners communicated the importance of the initiative to those in attendance.

“It’s huge with The American Legion talking about Be the One combatting suicide in the military,” Grooms said. “It’s something I take to heart, just from my stories and knowing people who have been impacted by suicide. It’s an issue we deal with all the time in the military. It’s huge to know that there are people who are there to take care of this and to put a spotlight on this issue.”

Ashley Gutermuth served as the show’s headliner once again. She is the spouse of an Air Force pilot, member of the American Legion Auxiliary and co-host of The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast.

“As a military spouse, being able to be a part of this is such a powerful thing,” she said. “I get sent stories all the time from people who say my jokes really helped. We’re really making a difference. I love how The American Legion is partnered with us. We have the Be the One program. We have Operation Heal*arious. Why not come together? We are all stronger together.”

The six finalists who will compete in Las Vegas are Monica Daly, Sean Flanagan (story and video here), Vernard Hines, Jeremy Jonas (story and video here), Jeff Norris and G. Williams.