That Was Quick! Colbert Announces Star-Studded Homecoming Show For Returning Iraq Soldiers

Rachel SklarAug 20th, 2010, 12:04 pm

On Wednesday, NBC News surprised the nation by announcing that the last U.S. military combat brigade was pulling out of Iraq, officially ending Operation Iraqi Freedom. On Thursday, Stephen Colbert surprised his Nation by announcing that inside 24 hours he’d organized two full-on commemorative shows honoring the troops, complete with all-star (and four-star) guests General Ray Odierno, Senator Jim Webb, and Vice President Joe Biden. Not bad.

Here was the word, from last night’s Wørd:

This September 8th and 9th I will celebrate the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and welcome home the heroes with two special episodes of The Colbert Report with two special episodes entitled, “Been There, Won That: he Returnification of the American-Do Troopscape!

Studio audience: Veterans and active-duty soldiers. Karma: Off the charts.

Those in the know are well aware that Colbert’s advocacy on behalf of the troops is long-standing — in June 2009 he guest-edited a special Iraq-focused issue of Newsweek to draw attention to the war after attention at home had been shifted dramatically to the economy. Even better, he took his entire show to Iraq for a week (“Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando“), genially submitting to a Presidentially-ordered head-shaving by commanding officer Gen. Ray Odierno (ordered specifically by Obama via video). It’s clear that Colbert doesn’t just say his wørds, he lives by them.

But, it’s Colbert, so of course he does so with a comic twist, often with a zing to boot, as in this effortless marriage of earnestness and punch:

After seven years — seven long years — in Iraq, we will give our soldiers what they’ve been yearning for: we will give them appreciation. Because no matter how you felt about this war, we Americans sent them off to fight it, and now that it’s over, we should thank them — and quickly. Because I think a lot of them are being sent to Afghanistan.

Though he usually concludes this segment with “And that’s the Wørd,” last night he varied it slightly: “And that’s the War.” Slip of the tongue or delicate stab at a punishing repeat schedule of tours of duty? I’ve got my guess. Either way, bookmark those shows. If we know Colbert, he’s going to make sure that they matter.