USO stars coming to Kandahar

Bradley Cooper, D.B. Sweeney, Leeann Tweeden, Warrick Dunn, and Coach Don Shula are the scheduled headliners... more details later

go to http://www.uso.org/gallery/details.aspx?id=271 to see pictures of them with servicemen & woman


Admiral Mike Mullen to Visit Military Leaders and Embark on Second Consecutive Summer USO Tour to Boost Troop Morale
Bradley Cooper, Warrick Dunn, Don Shula, D.B. Sweeney and Leeann Tweeden Among Those to Bring a Touch of Home to America’s Armed Forces
ARLINGTON, Va., July 13, 2009 – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, is gearing up to leave the U.S. as part of a seven-day, three-country summer USO tour. Accompanying Admiral Mullen as his special celebrity guests are actor Bradley Cooper, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn, NFL Hall of Famer Don Shula, actor/director D.B. Sweeney and sports commentator Leeann Tweeden. This trip will mark the first USO tour for Shula, the second for Dunn and Sweeney, the third for Cooper and the thirteenth tour for Tweeden.
Designed to boost morale and bring a touch of home to America’s armed forces, Admiral Mullen’s USO tour will make stops at military bases both large and small, including forward operating bases and a deployed ship at sea. Admiral Mullen and his special guests will also provide thousands of soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors with a much-needed break from day-to-day activities with a series of autograph signings and meet-and-greets.
“Each and every USO tour is unique and means the world to so many of our nation’s troops,” said Admiral Mullen. “The fact we are able to send them out regularly speaks volumes about our nation’s ongoing support for those in uniform. I’m privileged to be associated with something that brings so much happiness to those who sacrifice so much.”
One of the industry’s most sought-after young actors, Cooper currently can be seen in Warner Brothers’ hit film “The Hangover” and “He’s Just Not That Into You,” opposite Jennifer Connelly and Scarlett Johansson. Having recently reprised his role as ‘Aidan Stone’ on the critically acclaimed F/X drama “nip/tuck,” Cooper will next be seen in “All About Steve” with Sandra Bullock and “New York I Love You,” directed by Allen Hughes.
Selected in the first round of the 1997 NFL draft, Dunn is a former running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons. Named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1997 by the Associated Press, he played for five years with the Buccaneers before signing on with the Falcons, and later becoming an unrestricted free agent. In 2007, Dunn became the 22nd player in NFL history to reach 10,000 rushing yards and 4,000 yards receiving.
Inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in July of 1997, Shula is the winningest coach in NFL history. The only NFL head coach to win more than 325 games and appear in six Super Bowls, Shula won two consecutive Super Bowl titles, advanced to the playoffs 20 times and averaged more than 10 wins per season. Shula retired from an illustrious career in the NFL in 1995, after serving as head coach for 26 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and seven seasons with the Baltimore Colts.
Best known as the hockey player turned figure skater in the romantic comedy “The Cutting Edge,” D.B. Sweeney made his debut as screenwriter, director and producer in 2008’s “Two Tickets to Paradise.” A native New Yorker, his credits include Francis Ford Coppola’s “Gardens of Stone,” “Memphis Belle”, “Eight Men Out” (as ‘Shoeless Joe Jackson’) and “Fire in the Sky.” He also played ‘Dish Boggett’ in the epic television miniseries “Lonesome Dove.”
Former host and sports reporter for the Fox Sports Network, Tweeden has covered everything from professional football and extreme sports to entertainment and news. The recipient of a Sports Emmy and a Telly Award, she began her career in modeling at the age of three and has graced the covers of such magazines as “FHM” and “Fitness RX.” The daughter of an Air Force veteran who served two tours of duty in Vietnam, Tweeden is a long-time supporter of U.S. troops. She is currently the host of NBC’s “Poker After Dark,” which airs six nights a week as well as the annual “National Heads Up Poker Championship.”In times of peace and war, the USO consistently delivers its special brand of entertainment and comfort to military families around the world. In 2008, celebrity volunteers traveled to 27 countries and 23 states, entertaining more than 236,000 troops and family members.
For a list of recent and upcoming USO tours, visit www.uso.org/whatwedo/entertainment. To learn more about the USO and to find out how to support the troops, visit www.uso.org.
# # #
About the USOThe USO (United Service Organizations) lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of the American people to support its programs and services. The USO is supported by Worldwide Strategic Partners AT&T Inc., BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Gallery Furniture, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, S & K Sales Co. and TriWest Healthcare Alliance. Other corporate donors, including the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381), have joined millions of individual donors to support the USO. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.uso.org.
Contacts: Oname Thompson, 703-908-6471, othompson@uso.org