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The Humor Tour Stops at Walter Reed 

The Navy Medicine Operational Stress Control's (OSC) "Humor Tour" not only brought smiles to patients and staff at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) on Friday, but also helped raise awareness about the importance of mitigating stress.

As part of the OSC's efforts to protect service members from operational stress, and to help them become more psychologically resilient, the tour included four nationally renowned cartoonists from the National Cartoonist Society along with the director of the Humor Project, Dr. Joel Goodman. Volunteering their time, the group showed their appreciation for service members and care givers.

Touched by the wounded warriors and providers he has met along the way, Goodman said, "I really do believe in the Navy Operational Stress Control Program. I'm really delighted to be a part of this tour, to really say thank you, and to really give the gift of humor."

Goodman explained the origin of his Humor Project was not so funny. After his father suffered an aneurism, humor helped lighten the stress and got his family through the difficult situation. He then started the project to help encourage others to take humor seriously and to use it in everyday situations to alleviate stress. Over the years, he has presented at the Navy and Marine Corps Combat and Operational Stress Control Conference, written eight books and received the International Lifetime of Laughter Achievement Award. He is also one of just two professional speakers in the world to have presented on all seven continents and in all 50 states.

During his presentation, "Humor, Hope and Healing," in the Laurel Clark Memorial Auditorium, Goodman told staff humor can be used in many ways to help alleviate tension in stressful situations.

"Humor is a great way of bringing us into the here and now ... Humor's a wonderful gift we can give ourselves. Life has a way of giving us pop quizzes when we least want them, or need them, or expect them," he said. "Certainly some of your patients may have been not only on the receiving end of the pop quiz, but a major test, and how do we take the test that life tosses in our path?"

The answer - humor, he said. The next time stress becomes overwhelming, he encouraged staff to "call a mental time out, hold up a mirror to your reality, and come up with a playful definition of your job that mirrors reality. Humor is really an attitude. It's a perspective. It's a way of dancing with life."

He went on to offer tips for care providers to help them introduce humor, in a tasteful way and when the timing is right. For one, care givers can create "humor carts" filled with humor "stimuli," cartoons or props. Host an annual, or monthly, "staff laugh," to help bring joy into the workplace. He also suggested having patients create a humor scrapbook, flipping through magazines to find funny images or phrases.

It's important to be serious about humor, he said, "for the health of it." Studies have indicated laughter can help reduce stress hormones and activate the immune system. The power of laughter and creativity can go a long way, he added, because a smile is the shortest distance between two people.

"Humor is really an attitude. It's a perspective. It's a way of dancing with life, [and] a way of rolling with punches that life inevitably throws us, or our patients," he said. "Humor can help us stay young at heart and spirit."

During the tour, the cartoonists - Jeff Bacon, Paul Fell, Bruce Higdon, and Mason Mastroianni - sketched caricatures and cartoons for patients, their families and staff on the wards and in Tranquility Hall. The artists also expressed their satisfaction in bringing laughter to troops and providers.

Bacon, who joined the Navy in 1979 and still serves on active duty, began drawing for the Navy Time's cartoon, "Broadside," in 1986. Having toured the globe, he has had the opportunity to cross paths with several troops on more than one occasion, and is always impressed to see the progress of a wounded warrior. He enjoys seeing them succeed, and bringing smiles to their faces. He's also amazed at the amount of support wounded warriors receive, which he believes is especially helpful in their transition.

"The support structure they have is unbelievable," said Bacon. He added that those in uniform have sacrificed for others, and he appreciates the chance to help bring them a sense of home, bring them humor and help them deal with operational stress. "We admire them more than they admire us. What we want is to tell them we appreciate their service."

Admiring his caricature, Army Specialist Sergio Cano, said, "I think it's awesome. I like it."

In June, Cano was injured in Afghanistan. He said he was grateful for the cartoonists' support, adding that it's one thing for others to say "thank you," but coming in, taking their time to sit and talk, shows their appreciation. He said, "It's always good to see fresh faces around here. I think it's nice to see the support."

Bruce Higdon, who retired from the Army in 1993 and has drawn for Army Times, and the Stars and Stripes, said he could relate to the service members. He has been touring the globe, sketching for service members for about six years.

"I've been in places that are uncomfortable, places that are lonely and situations that are difficult, and I remember those times when people took time out of their life to come make me laugh, or say thank you, and so I [want to] pay it back," said Higdon. "I understand how I felt when I was away from home, and when I was in the hospital. It's good to see a friendly face."

For more information about the OSC program and the Humor Tour, visit http://navynavstress.com. For more information about the humor project, visit www.humorproject.com. Also, if you would like a copy of Mr. Goodman's book, "Laffirmations," please stop by the Office of Media Relations in Building 1 on the 11th floor.