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'Tonight Show:' Edwards Airmen receive star treatment from Jay Leno

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Brad Kimberly
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFMCNS) --  Fifty-five Airmen here traveled to Burbank, Calif., on Nov. 22 as part of an all-military audience for "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

More than 350 men and women from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard filled the studio audience to watch the taping of the late-night show, which aired on Thanksgiving Day.

Lt. Col. Kerry Beaghan, 95th Mission Support Group deputy commander, said she thought it was great that Mr. Leno showed his support to the military by offering every seat in the studio to men and women in uniform.

"Today when so many entertainers and celebrities are speaking out against what we're doing, it's nice to see there is still support for the military in Hollywood," she said.

Support for the military comes naturally to his family, Mr. Leno said.

"My brother was a Vietnam veteran, and my uncle was in the Army his whole life," he said. "In the '40s, during World War II, [my uncle] ran the Hollywood Canteen out here, and he would try to round up stars to go down to the ports, where the guys were shipping out, to sing songs."

Although Mr. Leno is best known for comedy, he came close to continuing his family's tradition of joining the military.

"When I was in high school, I thought I might [join the military], but then I got the show business bug," Mr. Leno said. "If I had been drafted, I would have gone. I had nothing against it."

Lindsay Lohan, an actress and singer who previously appeared in "Mean Girls" and "Herbie Fully Loaded," came on the show to promote her new album, but took a second to mention the military movie she's currently shooting.

"My character married men so they didn't have to go off to Vietnam," Ms. Lohan said.

Although she will be playing a '60s anti-war activist in the movie, Ms. Lohan expressed her support for the military several times throughout the show.

Comedian Dane Cook immediately won over the crowd by walking out on stage wearing an outfit pieced together from various military uniforms.

"I wore this last night, and I found that women love a man in uniforms," he quipped.

At the end of the program, rapper Juelz Santana performed a song from his latest album where he walked into the audience and danced in the aisle.

After the taping, audience members had their photos taken with Mr. Leno and were treated to a steak and chicken dinner provided by NBC.

Visiting "The Tonight Show" was an experience of a lifetime, said Airman 1st Class David Walker, 95th Aerospace Medicine Squadron bioenvironmental apprentice, who also presented Mr. Leno with an Air Force Flight Test Center commemorative coin.

"People were really nice to us, and they treated us with respect," Airman Walker said.

Staff Sgt. Cindy Ferl, Financial Management customer support NCO in charge, agreed.

"The hospitality that the entire studio showed for us was extremely appreciated," she said. "It was a wonderful opportunity to participate in."