Twelve veterans and military spouses advance to the finals in the nationwide contest, organized by Operation Heal*arious.
In a way, there were two winners in the competitive Operation Heal*arious comedy show on Oct. 27 for the last spot in the finals of the nationwide contest to find America’s funniest veteran or military spouse.
Army veteran Kurt Green won the contest but declined his spot in the finals next week in Los Angeles. “I love to make people laugh — it’s what I do,” he said. “I made people laugh all the time when I was in the Army … not on purpose.”
Runner-up Brandon Johnston, a Marine Corps veteran, accepted the invitation and will advance to the finals. “What I love about veterans, whether you are 17, or 70 or 700, we are all brothers and sisters,” he said. “We might fight. We might not always get along. But at the end of the day, we are family. During a recent show, having a 99-year-old World War II veteran come up to me afterward and say, ‘I had such a great time. I laughed so much,’ I loved that. I’m his brother and he’s my brother. As veterans, we stand on the shoulders of giants. He’s one of the giants.”
Retired Army veteran Robin Phoenix Johnson, the founder of Best Medicine Brigade (BMB) and Operation Heal*arious, produced the event at her American Legion post in Goose Creek, S.C. Lee Swerczek, commander of Post 166, was thrilled to host the comedy show, which was attended by at least 200 people.
“We are absolutely honored to have them (BMB performers) back in here,” said Swerczek, an Air Force retiree. “They have come in here several times. We are a very active post. And to have Robin come back to where she started is very honorable. We really appreciate all that she has done.”
The American Legion supports the Operation Heal*arious comedy tour. In fact, during the opening of each stop, Johnson has discussed the Legion’s premier mission, Be the One. Banners on stage promote the initiative, which aims to reduce the number of veterans who die by suicide by raising awareness about mental health treatment.
“There is no better medicine than laughter,” Swerczek said. “Robin and her group bring it every single time they are in here. I’ve lost a lot of friends and former military to suicide. So for her to bring her type of laughter and type of military humor to the person who needs it is very special.”
Comedy has helped Johnston, who deployed twice to Iraq during his service from 2003 to 2009, be able to socialize once again.
“It’s very important,” he said, referring to the Be the One mission. “There really is a stigma. We don’t feel that we can reach out. I wear the ’22 a day’ patch. Now research shows that may be closer to 44. I can’t say I haven’t struggled with. I’ve lost friends. I get invited to more funerals now than I do parties.”
Johnston knows how important it is to reach out.
“I didn’t want to reach out because of the stigma,” he said. “But when I did my life started getting better. It doesn’t mean I don’t still struggle. It’s a daily struggle. But it’s a lot easier to struggle with somebody than just yourself.”
Johnston is a member of American Legion Post 147 and its Riders chapter in James Island, S.C. “For me, I enjoy riding motorcycles. When people get too much for me, I hop on my bike and I’m gone. Just me and nature and the wind. And that helps a lot.”
Green describes his act as “comedy for all people,” and said he has performed everywhere from elementary schools to senior citizens homes. As a substitute teacher, his performance during the contest featured several minutes related to schools and students.
Among the gems, referring to a misbehaving student, “I knew he was bad because he got kicked out of home school.”
The 10-city Operation Healarious comedy show tour contest will now crown two champions, one in Los Angeles on Nov. 4, and another in Las Vegas on Nov. 9. The finalists are:
Los Angeles: Johnston will join other finalists Gigi Bledsoe, Geoff Grooms, Chris Karwoski (story and video), Stephanie Kline and Kim Wadsworth (story and video here).
Las Vegas: Monica Daly, Sean Flanagan (story and video here), Vernard Hines, Jeremy Jonas (story and video here), Jeff Norris and G. Williams.
- Be the One