What surviving an IED taught me about being a stand-up comedian

What surviving an IED taught me about being a stand-up comedian

As a comedian, you never forget the first time you bomb. For me, it wasn’t on stage.I was in southern Afghanistan in May 2014 when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near me while covering a routine patrol as a public affairs specialist.It was something I had a dozen times before, but in a flash I was on my back, ears ringing, lungs full of dust. I don’t remember the sound — just the silence that came after. That was the first…