So, once again, the Bob Hope of the Blues - Ottawa's Tony D - is dusting off his Kevlar and girding his loins to bring a little showbiz to Canada's fighting men and women.
This time, however, there's a lot of Apocalypse Now involved in the deal. It seems that, for security reasons, D and anyone else involved in the entertainment tour is not allowed to say when or where these particular shows will take place.
"This is a little like my Heart of Darkness trip, I guess," D (real name DiTeodoro) laughs on the phone. "I can say I'm going, but I can't say where or when or, I guess, what I'll be doing there."
The show will be produced by Ottawa's Carleton Productions for the Canadian Forces Show Tours unit, which, according to its Web site, brings "a small piece of Canada to our deployed members."
Carleton Productions would only confirm the show features D, roots rocker Barney Bentall, Ottawa jazz singer Diane White and an Ottawa murder-mystery group - all in all, the type of USO tour most people are familiar with. But forget the saucy Playboy girl type entertainment seen in Apocalypse Now: Calls for tender ban "entertainment that could be considered profone, vulgar or in poor taste." Also banned are "live plants, animals, birds, fish, reptiles or any other living creature."
Entertainers should also note "toxic chemicals or any chemical of an explosive nature will not form part of the bid."
Marion Grobb, director of communcations for Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency, laughs at the exclusions. "Yes, and they still expect people to put on a good show."
But Grobb says the entertainment level has been consistently high and appreciated in hotspots like Kandahar and Bosnia. "I don't think it can be overstated what an impact these shows have on the morale of personnel who are on difficult postings.
"The difference between our shows and other countries' is that our entertainers actually mix and mingle with the personnel. They play cards and hang out and make friends."
As mentioned, D is a veteran of these tours, having earned battle ribbons in Bosnia, Goose Bay, Labrador, and CFB Alert, in Nunavut. The outings brought him a new appreciation of geopolitical realities.
"When you're thousands of miles away, you don't realize how serious these situations are and how important these people are.
"I mean, it's scary stuf and I'm just the guitar player."