We were lucky to catch up with Merna Lewis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Merna, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
People ask this a lot, and my mind always trails back to getting to perform for our troops. A good friend of mine, Judi, asked me to play in her band, Wild Gypsy for a few tours for AAFES (Army & Air Force Exchange Service) and the USO (United Service Organizations) to perform for the American troops. We traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Andros Island, Bahamas; Thule, Greenland (twice!); and a tour through Italy, Spain and Germany. These have by far been the most meaningful tours I’ve been on because they are the most captivating audience. They really get into the music and have a good time. We played for some the night before they were shipping off – on Christmas Eve. That was a special one – I felt like playing for them was my way of giving back and saying, ‘Thanks!’ My favorite still is when we finished our show, we opened up the band stage for anyone to get up and sing/play in a live-band karaoke setting. In Greenland, we stayed up until the sun went down – yep – we were there twice for their festivals of first night and first light – 24 hours of darkness/light. Pajama party and all!