Ex-Marine from Kansas leads Comedy Central into war zone
3:40 p.m. Wednesday, August 22, 2007
A popular fake news program is taking on a sobering topic: the Iraq war. And, on the front lines is a KU graduate.
Kansas native Rob Riggle, who has been a cast member since last September, is reporting on a more fluffy side of the war. And, as ABC News found out, The Daily Show's venture into Iraq may be just what soldiers need.
You'll see Riggle's reports all week on The Daily Show.
"You don't have to look around to be reminded that you are in a combat zone. So, a little laughter goes a long, long way. It's the best escape," he said.
So many young Americans rely on The Daily Show for information this might seem the next logical conclusion.
And Riggle is the man for the job. He's a Marine major still in the Reserves. He served tours in Liberia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. He first sold the trip to the Pentagon by combining it with a USO Tour for troops.
"The soldiers get it, above all, that it's fake news and it's a comedy show," Riggle said.
But is there a risk when you try to find yuks in the face of such human catastrophe?
"People think that 'oh, it's a war zone, and these soldiers, we can't talk to them and we can't allow them to laugh," he said. "You don't think they could use a laugh?"
And however much we laugh at his exploits this week, Riggle says those laughs meant more to him than anything else.
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