Lt. Cmdr. Mike Fleetwood, operations officer of the P-3 Orion Patrol Squadron 13, holds out an aircrew's survival vest for comedians Carrie Snow, left, and Ellen Cleghorne to try on. (Sandra Jontz / S&S)
Lt. Cmdr. Mike Fleetwood, operations officer of the P-3 Orion Patrol Squadron 13, holds out an aircrew's survival vest for comedians Carrie Snow, left, and Ellen Cleghorne to try on. (Sandra Jontz / S&S)
Navy Lt. Schon Cowart, a P-3 Orion pilot, shows comedians Carrie Snow, background left, and Ellen Cleghorne the intricate aircraft cockpit while at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily on Tuesday. (Sandra Jontz / S&S)
Comedians Carrie Snow, foreground, and Ellen Cleghorne sign autographs Tuesday morning for sailors of Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Detachment at Sigonella. (Sandra Jontz / S&S)
NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA, Sicily — For a few hours Tuesday, roles were reversed and the entertainers were entertained instead.
Comedians Ellen Cleghorne and Carrie Snow got an up-close-and-personal look at sailors on the job at the U.S. Navy base on the Italian island of Sicily, including a chance to board a P-3 Orion spy plane and don some of the aircrew’s work gear.
“This doesn’t look very slimming to me,” teased Snow as Lt. Cmdr. Mike Fleetwood, operations officer of the P-3 Orion Patrol Squadron 13, helped the women don the drab green survival vests.
“Does this come in different colors, say black?” wondered Cleghorne.
The two comedians are midway through a 10-day circuit sponsored by the USO, Armed Forces Entertainment, and Morale Welfare and Recreation. The comedy tour got off to a rough start with bad weather that delayed their travel to Europe, turning a multihour trip into multiple days and forcing them to cancel a show slated for Rota, Spain.
Their luggage is missing in Spain because of a baggage handlers’ strike in Barcelona, they said.
After Tuesday’s show in Sigonella, the pair are moving their adult-tailored show to Naples’ Capodichino base for a Thursday performance, and then up to Aviano Air Base for two nights on Friday and Saturday. The show is for those 18 and older.
Combined Task Force 67 was “all abuzz” Tuesday morning as sailors took a brief break from work to chitchat with the entertainers and get autographs, said Capt. Chip Walter, commanding officer.
“This is a little down time,” Walter said. “It’s good for them to see a little about life outside what they do every day.”
Afterward, it was back to the grind.
“I just love that everyone just goes back to work,” Snow said. “I guess it is true what they say: You guys get more done before noon than most get done in a whole workday.”
