Henry Rollins Hits the Road—With the U.S.O.

Travel Blog  •  Michael Yessis  •  11.16.05 | 5:08 AM ET

How did anti-war punk-rock legend Henry Rollins end up on tour with the U.S.O., supporting United States military troops in hot spots around the world like a latter-day Betty Grable? “[T]here are reasons beyond sheer love of country that influence a performer’s decision to tour with the U.S.O.,” Susan Dominus writes in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine. “For Rollins, the travel provides creative fodder, but it also gives him access to places he wouldn’t ordinarily visit, among them Iraq, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar and Honduras.”

Dominus continues: “On his own, Rollins, who’s single and is generally on the road for at least one-third of the year, makes it a point to visit at least one country he’s never seen every year. ‘The older I get, the more curious I am,’ he says. He joined the U.S.O., in other words, for the same reason some people join the military: to see the world.”

The story is fascinating. Rollins has what Dominus calls a prodigious memory, allowing him to connect with troops by asking where they’re from, then recalling details of their hometowns culled from his previous speaking and musical tours. He makes every effort to temper his anti-war feelings to the troops, but once, in Kyrgyzstan, he slipped up.

A commander had been briefing his soldiers on how best to reacclimate to society after the end of a tour, and at the end of the presentation, he turned the mike over to Rollins, asking him to make some spontaneous comments. “I think your commander has some great points, and you should all listen to what he has to say,” Rollins started out. The commander wouldn’t lie to you, Rollins added - “that’s the vice president’s job.” It got a big laugh from the troops, but Rollins told me he thought he saw the face of a U.S.O. press officer traveling with him at the time go white. He asked if she was angry. “No,” she replied, “but I’m sure somebody is.”

 

Tags: Music, Central America, Honduras, North America, United States, News and Briefs


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