Comedian bringing laughs, message to Luke

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Melanie Holochwost
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  A comedian who appeared on David Letterman, Comedy Central, and is featured in the No. 1 selling comedy book "I Killed," is performing a free stand-up comedy show at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday in the Luke Air Force Base Theater.

Luke is just one of many military installations Bernie McGrenahan is stopping at during his famous Happy Hour Comedy Tour. He started off speaking to college students, but changed his target audience to military personnel a few years ago. Now, he visits a few bases a month.

Ben Bruce, 56th Fighter Wing Ground Safety manager, said he saw Mr. McGrenahan at Randolph AFB, Texas, last year and was impressed by the performance.

"He has a unique approach that combines humor with his personal experience involving alcohol," Mr. Bruce said. "The first half of the show is a stand-up comedy act, which puts the audience in the moment, so they can relate to him and laugh at the same time."

During the second half of the show, Mr. McGrenahan shares his personal experience.

Mr. McGrenahan delivers a powerful and gripping message when he speaks about his own experiences with alcohol, drugs, sexual conduct and suicide, said Evelyn Perez, 56th Fighter Wing Sexual Assault Response Center assistant.

"He is motivating servicemembers to identify the warning signs and take safe action before it is too late or fatal," she said.

Mr. Bruce said Mr. McGrenahan's performance has been well received at military installations.

"Unlike some people teaching safety, Bernie isn't preachy," he said. "He makes the audience laugh, but also gets his point across. And, most importantly, everyone has fun in the process."