Day 50: Save the Cheerleader, save the world

Helicopter flight to get back home got scrubbed again, but I wasn't too disappointed because the provincial reconstruction team was hosting a barbecue cookout and the Raiderettes were coming on base to perform. On my previous deployment, I was on a smaller post, so we kind of got skipped by most of the USO morale type shows. Comedians, TV stars, athletes, and other celebrities come and do a little show and then a meet and greet. What is pretty cool about this is that they really are pretty happy to come and don't seem to have any prima donna attitudes. Tonight, six cheerleaders from the Oakland Raiders (American football team) came to perform for us.

I was having lunch at the dining facility with some of the team here and I passed two women wearing pink T-shirts. I didn't think anything of it. There aren't very many female contractors on this post, but they're not terribly unusual and these ladies didn't seem super special. When I sat down with the team, someone speculated that they might be the cheerleaders performing tonight. I said I didn't think so and I was convinced once I saw them go to the ice cream case. Cheerleaders don't eat ice cream. A couple minutes later, another three women walked in wearing the same t-shirts and they definitely looked like cheerleaders -- very athletic, wore makeup and looked, well, flashy I guess.

The barbecue was going on when their show started, so I didn't catch the first bit, but when I got there, they did some dance routines and interspersed them with little contests with participants from the crowd (dance-off, pushup contest). They also read some letters from kids and people back home. For their last dance bit, they came out in fairly skimpy outfits. I think that's just cruel and unusual punishment to put attractive, young women prancing around half-dressed in front of an almost entirely male crowd who hasn't had any for half a year or more.

I know, you guys aren't probably pitying me too much right now, but not every night is like this :)