Continuing our USO/NCS cartoonist adventures in Kuwait, my pals and I had a few more moist moments at Camp Arifjan during our first full day in that arid country. As guests of the base, we were fortunate to be able to run through the 120s heat from one air conditioned situation to another. Despite having that luxury, we were often wet with our own sweat. It gave us a real appreciation of the working conditions of many of the soldiers we met who are stationed there for nine months to a year before they are assigned a new location.
Eddie Pittman and Michael Ramirez shooting the breeze where there was none.If telling you to stop in two languages isn’t enough, then the base is prepared to stop you in other ways.At each installation, the base commanders like to meet guests and welcome us to their facility. After meeting with the Camp Arifjan commanders, they presented us with certificates commemorating our time with their troops. Sam Viviano, art director of MAD Magazine, made a presentation of his own to them.
Whenever we had drawing sessions, we would just sit and talk with these folks like a good friend from home. Sometimes it was just heart wrenching to hear the stories of what they have had to deal with while in the service. At Camp Arifjan, I remember meeting a young woman who was very smiley and perky and was so excited to meet us. I commented that she looked quite young, and she readily told me she was only 19. (I ended up meeting many teenagers over there serving our country.) When I asked her what she did there in Kuwait, her face sunk and her voice dropped as she quietly said that she worked in Mortuary Services, the one job that was allowed only a 6 month run. I could tell by her demeanor that I should not ask any more about her job, but tried to encourage her and give her more reasons to smile. Later, her supervisor sat for me, and he opened up about what their work entailed. Basically, they process the bodies of our fallen, and prepare them for transport back to the States. It is a morbid duty, and it made my heart break even more for the young people who have to face that reality in their work over there.
Many folks would ask for caricatures of themselves or for sketches of characters we have been known for drawing. I drew many of the Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh gangs for our troops, having worked on television shows featuring both. Often a soldier would ask for a sketch of themselves with a Disney character, and it was always fun to see their faces light up at the end when the finished drawing was revealed.
This soldier told me of a time when he was stationed in another country, he was in the latrine with a buddy when the bomb sirens sounded. They hesitated to leave for cover in their present state, but their better sense got a hold of them and they pulled up and ran. About 100 feet away from the latrine, a bomb descended and destroyed the structure. I looked him right in the eye and said, “Isn’t it interesting that your adventure with poo that day has led you to have THIS adventure with Pooh today?” His ever present smile turned into hearty laughter.Just a quick shot of the smelly Persian Gulf next to which our hotel was located. We were told that much sewage finds its way into the Gulf. Despite the heat, something NOT in the Gulf were swimmers.When possible while traveling abroad, I enjoy taking interesting pictures of locals. These gentlemen were working on improvements to the hotel grounds.
You never know who you will bump into while in Kuwait. Our hotel was home to two other American groups in town, like we were, to do special things for the local U.S. soldiers. One was a group of Ultimate Fighting Championship athletes with whom we actually caravanned to Camp Buehring on our second day. I had the chance to meet in conversation nine time UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes, which was far better than meeting the receiving end of his profession. There was also a troupe of actors staying in our hotel that included Natasha Lyonne, Jay O. Sanders, Joanne Tucker, and her husband who will be playing Kylo Ren in the upcoming Star Wars movie, Adam Driver.
Just a couple of Hollywood guys in Kuwait after having discussed how cool it was that Adam was illustrated by Drew Struzan on the new Star Wars movie poster.Located just 12 miles from the Iraq border, Camp Buehring was as dusty and dry as they came.Everything comes in a delightful shade of beige in Kuwait.Normally cartoonists are used to fighting with our art. The base thought it would be a good idea to give us some practice on their simulator shooting range. You can see we were confused by the funny pens they made us hold.We were also taken out to the helicopter field to meet some of the soldiers who operate some of the big stuff. Here we are with an Apache pilot who explained the finer aspects of these fascinating flying machines. L to R: Ed Steckley, Chip Bok, Eddie Pittman, Sam Viviano, the Apache pilot, yours truly, Michael Ramirez, Bruce Higdon, Rick Kirkman, and Paul Combs.Ed Steckley promptly forgot everything the pilot taught us.It will be interesting to see how Rick Kirkman can turn this experience into material for Baby Blues.We also were able to meet with a crew of a medical chopper who were members of the National Guard stationed in Kuwait.Paul Combs, who works on the side as a fireman, swapping rescue stories with a soldier.Michael Ramirez ready for take-off.Later in the afternoon, we met with the base commander and his staff where the Q&A was quid pro quo – we asked them questions, they asked us questions! Answers for everyone!
That evening we had a big drawing session for the soldiers on base. The line was so large and I was so busy drawing that I forgot to take pictures except for just this one below.
Despite Kuwait being unforgivingly hot, dry, and dusty, and that the soldiers were restricted to base, we saw so many smiles throughout the day when we met folks. These two personified our welcome at Camp Buehring.The next day we were off to the airport on our next adventure. Even at the airport, they had designated prayer rooms for the Muslim required prayer rituals.Even with two suns, the planet Tatooine has nothing on the single sun of Kuwait.A parting shot of Kuwait City as we winged our way to Africa.
Tomorrow is a new dawn in the African country of Djibouti.
I had a unique opportunity last month to go on a trip to visit some of our United States troops in the Middle East in conjunction with the USO organization and the National Cartoonists Society (NCS). Together with 8 of my friends and colleagues, we traveled to military bases in Kuwait, Djibouti, and Turkey to draw for our soldiers and thank them for putting their lives on the line every day in some pretty unforgiving conditions not only for us, but for the people native to those regions.
Over the next few posts, I plan to share with you some pictures and tales acquired from the ten life changing days spent in August 2015 with our troops. Sweaty cartoonists will be a recurring theme.
Traveling from all over the country, all nine of us met at the airport in Washington D.C. and proceeded to travel together to our first stop in Kuwait. While there were smiles here in D.C., the smiles started to droop after the journey to Kuwait ultimately lasted a long 30 hours.Our first group photo taken in the lobby of our Kuwaiti hotel in front of some pics of their employees of the month. From L to R: Chad Frye (animation artist & former Disney guy), Eddie Pittman (former Disney Feature animator & Phineas & Ferb artist), Paul Combs (Drawn By Fire comic & editorial cartoonist for Fire Engineering Magazine), Sam Viviano (MAD Magazine art director), Bruce Higdon (Punderstatements comic strip), Rick Kirkman (Baby Blues comic strip), Ed Steckley (advertising illustrator & MAD contributor), Michael Ramirez (two time Pulitzer winning editorial cartoonist for Investors Business Daily), and Chip Bok (syndicated editorial cartoonist).
Once in Kuwait, for our own safety our movements were restricted to transportation to and from our hotel and three military bases we were there to visit. We had a security detail with us at all times which kind of made you feel safe, but also it made you feel like you were always in danger.
We traveled in a van with curtains over the windows which were for our safety, but they also helped keep things cool inside. It was a wretched 125 degrees Fahrenheit there.Many bases had these posters made up to advertise our arrival.Our first stop was at Camp Patriot, a small base. We set up in their USO recreation hall which consisted of some games, a library, and computers for soldiers to use to contact home.Michael Ramirez drew MANY caricatures for the soldiers willing to be the subject of his expertise.We later went to Camp Arifjan where we immediately had lunch in the base mess hall. I learned that there were plenty of starch options in Army food, along with various forms of protein. The salad bars were the best source for fresh vegetables, and would rival the salad bar of any stateside restaurant.You can see these cement barricades all over the Kuwaiti bases with designs painted on them. The barricades were there to protect from a possible attack, the paintings were there to distract from the various shades of beige the land offered.Some of the barricades were quite large, and made you feel tough. That’s me being all tough while smiling large and wearing my Mickey Mouse watch.
Besides our scheduled drawing sessions and meals with the troops, we had opportunities to meet with soldiers just to talk to them and hear about what it is they do. This stop was to meet the local hazmat team.
The heat was extremely oppressive, and the land very dusty and dry. This was a typical sight wherever we walked. Another typical sight was of people drinking water.Rick Kirkman chatting with a soldier.Bruce Higdon, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel himself, thanking some of our nation’s finest for their service.Those hazmat folks have some pretty cool vehicles to use for their jobs. Just standing in front of them together made us all feel cool, despite the crazy heat.
More to come from Kuwait tomorrow in my next post!
When you work in and around Hollywood, you are bound to bump into famous folks now and then. Doris Roberts, who became highly recognized for her role of Marie Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, is one such person that I have unexpectedly seen at various events around town. However, a couple of months ago I learned that she was making a public appearance at a convention, so I prepared myself for meeting her this time.
It is hard to believe, but Everybody Loves Raymond filmed their last episode ten years ago. I don’t often get caught up in television shows, but that was one I enjoyed immensely. During that final season, I was inspired to create a caricature rendering of the cast in a Norman Rockwell setting.
“Everybody Loves Raymond” in watercolor based on Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” oil painting.
The first time I bumped into Doris out in public was the week after I had painted this illustration. I found myself walking next to her down the hill after a Tony Bennett concert at the Hollywood Bowl. I was so startled to see her there, that the first words out of my mouth were, “Oh, hello! I was just painting you last week!” Her reaction was appropriately more startled by my strange greeting, and managed to walk much faster than I at that moment.
So, ten years later, I came up to her at this latest public function and presented her with a print of my painting. This time she seemed genuinely pleased and delighted. Whew!
Doris Roberts and Chad Frye
Well, hopefully next time there will be a chance to meet Brad Garrett who played Ray’s older brother Robert (barely seen in the lower right corner of the painting). A couple of years ago Brad voiced a character I designed for an animated production that has yet to be released. So in a way, I “worked with him,” though we have never met. That’s Hollywood for you.
Just a little follow-up post to my last one. About six weeks ago, a few members of the NCS LA (the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society) gathered together at the home of Tom Gammill (writer for The Simpsons) to shoot a video not only for our chapter, but for a comedy bit for the national organization. It debuted at the annual Reuben Awards in Washington D.C. two Saturdays ago during Memorial Day weekend, and is now available for your viewing pleasure online.
The whole video starts with a running gag Tom has been doing where he is living in a pretend marriage with Jeannie Schulz, wife of the late Charles Schulz. The first part of the video features Tom with Sally & Mell Lazarus, Cathy Guisewite, Jeannie Schulz and members of her staff, and Caroline & Arnold Roth.
As you can see, we are a group that enjoys each other. It is fun hanging with these folks as well as with the many others who come to our monthly chapter get-togethers. It is nice when colleagues can have fun together in brother/sisterhood without ugly competitiveness getting in the way. If anything, supporting each other raises all of our games.
I enjoy taking pictures, and I was getting lots of behind-the-scenes photos from our 4 hour shoot. Thought I’d share a few highlights here:
Tony Carillo and Spencer Ramsey. Spencer was our audio playback guy, and he did the bouncing ball animation in the video.New NCS President Bill Morrison getting ready for his close-up.You can see we all pitched in where needed behind the camera, too. Here is David Silverman holding the light, and Christy Higgins who served as our cue card grip.Chad Frye flanked on either side by David Silverman (L) and Matt Diffee (R).Cornelius the Bear ate Tom Gammill!!!David Silverman and his tuba in a jam session with Cornelius.From a scene that landed on the cutting room floor, an angry mob of cartoonists chasing Cornelius the bear. Our cinematographer was Max Pross, a very funny comedy writer currently working on “The Simpsons.”Matt Diffee, Dave Kellett & Tony Carillo enjoying an orange juice interlude.A final shot of the gang at the end of shooting. Back row: David Silverman, Chad Frye, Tony Carillo, Spencer Ramsey. Front: Matt Diffee, Dan Piraro, Tom Gammill, Keith Robinson, Dave Kellett, and Bill Morrison.Keith Robinson after chugging a vat of India ink in the video. That, ladies & gentlemen, is dedication.
Last year a great composer and one of the nicest guys, Ken Thorne, passed away. Ken had worked on many film scores such as The Beatles’ Help!, The Monkees Head, Superman II and Superman III (both starring Christopher Reeve), the Alan Arkin starring Inspector Clouseau, and Tom Selleck’s Lassiter to name a few. I had posted my appreciation for Ken upon his passing, and posted a photo of him that I had taken the last time I saw him a couple of years before at a film composer event at the Dark Delicacies store in Burbank, California.
Recently, one of Ken’s daughters contacted me and asked if they could send my photo to the Motion Picture Academy. The Academy has been gathering photos for their “In Memoriam” section of the Oscars telecast taking place this coming Sunday evening, and had asked the Thorne family for a photo for possible inclusion. I was honored that Ken’s family liked my photo enough for such a prestigious purpose, and was very happy to give my blessing.
The Oscars have many things they try to accomplish, and I was told that there is a chance that Ken could be omitted for the sake of time, but let’s hope not. After all, he won an Oscar for his score to A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in 1967. He is one of the Academy’s own.
