Eight Delta Marketing Group - #EDMG
Author: George Ohan
Blog 5 of 5
Arriving: Sharm
El Sheik, Egypt via Cairo – 2:15 PM,
November 23, 2014
Walking through security in Egypt was actually fun! The Egyptians were generally happy-go-lucky
and laid back at the airport security terminals. We needed to buy our $25 “Visa”
stamp for our passports to enter the country. I had exchanged some US dollars for Egyptian Pounds in
Jordan, but oddly enough the Egyptian place that sells Visa stamps only accepts
US cash. They didn’t even take
their own government’s money to sell us a Visa to enter their country. (I did NOT anticipate that.)
Two Lieutenants from the US
Army came to escort us to our (undisclosed) next performance location. We stopped at a McDonald’s on the way because everyone was starving and we weren’t
feeling very adventurous with local food so soon after landing in country. This place was a tourist trap for sure…
People were trying to hustle camel rides (A man and his camel actually tipped
over into the middle of the street), hand made jewelry was being sold, and the
employees of McDonald’s offering food delivery on their beat up red and
yellow scooters.
We had to pass a couple of really solid and thorough
military security checkpoints on the way to our lodging. We KNEW that we were definitely on an Army base! This
definitely was not Aviano Air Force Base Italy, Amman Marriot, Tel Aviv David Intercontinental;
this was straight up US Army barracks
style accommodations. (We loved
it!) I had to go buy shower shoes at the Force Exchange (FX) before taking a shower……..(Note:
the day prior, I was taking a warm bath at a 4 star hotel, soaking in sea salt
from the Dead Sea! Ok!?!)
“Oh yeah, this is Army
right here….”, (Alabama accent) says Mr. Jody Fuller. He is the king of hilarious one-liners,
delivered at the right time. Jody
is a life-long stutterer and he has really turned one of his life’s biggest
challenges into one of his life’s greatest advantages. This is probably why it
is MORE funny when he nails the timing
on his jokes! Just take my word
for it….. You’ll have to see it. Jody
is a comedian, speaker, and writer that performs gigs for military
organizations and private corporations across the globe. Once you get to know this guy, you
can’t help but want to be his friend.
His love and passion for Auburn University and Opelika, Alabama
is far beyond anything I could describe with words. Anyone with that amount of love and passion for anything is worth being friends
with! Jody mentioned to us that
his wife and step-daughter had won a horse riding or judging competition and he
was really excited to get back to celebrate the victory with them. Mr.
Jody Fuller was a solid leader throughout this trip. He would ask me specific questions to
get me to think about our next move and he continuously gave me positive
feedback about doing a good job.
(Jody….. U.S. Army, MAJ Fuller, is a Logistics Officer with
three tours in Iraq, which was definitely helpful for my situation)
Once we got settled in and we were given a mini tour of the
military compound there was work to do: Contact was made with Los Angeles HQ, Armed
Forces Entertainment had been updated with the latest show info, itineraries
were verified with airlines, batteries purchased for my camera, bags properly pre-packed,
and everything was ready for the evening show! Sound check was at 1800 Hours, so we had some free time to
hit the beach! Jody and I were
escorted down to the Red Sea with a US Army Staff Sergeant, while P.J., Benari,
and Key were preparing to come down a little bit later. We had heard some amazing stories about
snorkeling in the Red Sea, but nothing could have prepared us for this! (Google Search, Snorkeling in the Red
Sea) We put some fins and goggles on, then our adventures started. We saw: sting rays, eels, starfish,
surgeonfish, yellow, blue, everything fish! These fish are inquisitive and kept
bumping into our snorkeling masks.
I have to admit I was shit*ing myself on a few occasions! Jody was so damn excited. When the other guys came down, he was the unofficial
tour guide of the Red Sea. He
guided everyone to the stingray with the
tail, and the stingray without the
tail. He was the first one to
spot a 9-foot eel with a HUGE head.
Jody took Key Lewis and his GoPro to the best spots and he would not
stop asking everyone if they had seen the BLUE and YELLOW STING RAY. Awesome time! The GIs of Comedy were floating around in Kayaks and
snorkeling in the Red Sea. Some of
the Soldiers that had escorted us there warned me not to buy the CAMEL MILK from the Egyptian guys shop
on the shoreline… Camel Milk….? Why would I buy that!?!?
SUCCESS NOTE: Our
host organizations usually had an itinerary or agenda ready for us upon
arrival. This is where I felt like
things could have gone bad if I didn’t pay attention to timelines, general
attitudes, and energy levels. As a
manager, my top priority was to keep the
talent fresh and ready for peak performance at all times. I was able to accomplish this by COMMUNICATION. I would speak to the guys first and find out what they
wanted, then I’d talk to our hosts to make something work for all of us.
That night the guys rocked the house! Benari and Jody had audio issues again,
but they muscled through it and kept the show moving. US Army officer (Jody Fuller) and Senior Non-Commissioned
Officer (Benari Poulten) were both faced with similar challenges on stage. They were true professionals and stepped
up to show the troops that they knew what to do when faced with adversity.
The GIs of Comedy, Thom Tran, and Armed Forces Entertainment
have really created a unique opportunity for our veterans to be true
inspirations for our currently serving troops. Traveling around the world, bringing joy to their brothers
and sisters, these guys really are still serving.
Next stop: Los Angeles, Hollywood, California, U.S.A.
When we finally made it through U.S. Customs I felt
GREAT!! I did it! I took four military veterans to Europe
and the Middle East, did a bunch of good things, and got them home safely! George Ohan, the TOUR MANAGER! Loving life! Thank
you for reading this short 5 blog series to
have an inside look at some of our adventures.
By the way….. Jody
Fuller wrote a cool little story about his experiences for his hometown
newspaper. You can find the link
below. Enjoy!
Very Respectfully,
George Ohan
Senior Partner
Eight Delta Marketing Group
559-451-1370 cell
Instagram - @GeorgeOhan
YouTube - /OhanGeorge
#EDMG #EightDeltaMarketingGroup #EightDeltaGlobal
#GIsOfComedy #ArmedForcesEntertainment #LifeAtLAFS #AFE #VFT #GeorgeOhan #Ohan
#EntertainmentBusiness #Military #Veteran
*BLOG 5 of 5 series
*SUCCESS NOTE,
might be one of the steps that I personally took to get to where I am.
www.GIsOfComedy.com
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