4 March 2025
Route Irish, a 12-kilometre stretch of highway in Baghdad, Iraq, was once considered the most dangerous road in the world.
It might sound like the beginning of a joke, but for an Australian comedian, a rock star and sailors driving down the dusty road earlier this year for a Forces Entertainment Tour, it was no laughing matter.
Anthony ‘Lehmo’ Lehmann, Angry Anderson and a couple of Navy bandies bounced along the highway in the back of an Australian light armoured vehicle.
A soldier briefing the group said that if anything happened to the security detail, the Navy musicians would be in charge.
Angry Anderson interjected, "Hang on, mate, that's the lead singer and the trombone player in the band. Can I have a gun?"
His request was politely declined.
Irish’s reputation stemmed from the numerous roadside bombs, suicide bomb attacks on checkpoints and sporadic shootings.
At one end lay the Green Zone, a heavily fortified military and diplomatic quarter in the heart of Baghdad.
At the other end was Baghdad International Airport and the US military headquarters in Iraq.
Wrecked vehicles and bomb craters served as stark reminders of the dangers along the way.
'The troops are the ones doing all the hard work, and it's a real privilege to be able to just deliver a slice of Australia and a brief bit of respite for them.'
From Australian comedy clubs to the sands of war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan, comedian Lehmo has become renowned for entertaining deployed troops.
He tells stories of Chinook helicopters, Christmas shows in Basra and the constant danger, while highlighting troops' dedication and the power of laughter as a respite.
"Initially, I went for my own entertainment because I thought it would be fun," Lehmo said.
His 2005 tour in Iraq was the first.
Heading into a "proper war”, apprehension changed to admiration for the men and women in uniform as he realised the chances of something going wrong were slim.
When a British Merlin helicopter arrived and flew them to Basra, Lehmo was surprised to see the aircrew dressed as Santa Claus for the Christmas Day flight.
“It was an active war zone; I thought the crew should be taking things a little more seriously,” Lehmo said.
“Flying with a bunch of funny speaking Santas on Christmas Day was pretty cool. A translator would have been appreciated, though.”
Lehmo has become a service storyteller, bringing the positive, often untold stories of personnel deployed overseas back to Australia.
After having so much fun on that first trip and meeting so many amazing military members, Lehmo fell in love with the experience.
On arriving home, he encouraged every comedian he knew to do Forces Entertainment.
He volunteered for eight subsequent tours, considering it a labour of love.
"It has been one of the great joys of my life," Lehmo said.
'That story really stuck with me about the quality of the training, the quality of the leadership, and the quality of the individuals who join the Australian Defence Force.'
One of the great rewards, Lehmo said, was seeing the sacrifices and professionalism of the troops and then being able to share those stories on TV and radio.
His first trip to Afghanistan was in March 2009, travelling from Tarin Kot to Kandahar on an American Chinook.
Lehmo said he and his companions wondered if the two gunners firing rounds out the side of the helicopter were just having fun or responding to a threat.
He recounted a particularly powerful interaction with an Australian soldier from Tarin Kot in 2009 who’d been in charge of a patrol that came under attack.
During the two-to-three-hour contact, the 22-year-old kept his men motivated, kept an injured soldier alive, fought off the enemy and got everyone safely back to base.
"That story really stuck with me about the quality of the training, the quality of the leadership, and the quality of the individuals who join the Australian Defence Force," Lehmo said.
“The troops are the ones doing all the hard work, and it's a real privilege to be able to just deliver a slice of Australia and a brief bit of respite for them while they're doing the hard yards, especially the ones who were literally out fighting every day.
"The greatest compliment I ever got was when a bloke said, after a big show at Tarin Kot, that for two hours, I took him back to Australia, and he needed that break. It was just a really nice compliment.”
