Live from Afghanistan: it's the Zack & Jim Show with the 1st Air Cav

By Sgt. Richard WrigleyNovember 22, 2011

Live from Afghanistan…it's the Zack & Jim Show with the 1st Air Cav
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – CAMP MARMAL, Afghanistan -- Soldiers from the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, listen to country music while waiting to go on air live from Afghanistan with Zack Owen, one of the hosts of the "The Morning Show with Zack and Jim" on "Wac... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Live from Afghanistan…it's the Zack & Jim Show with the 1st Air Cav
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – CAMP MARMAL, Afghanistan -- Sgt. 1st Class Fernanda Redwine, a native of Henderson, Texas, and the senior enlisted leader of human resources for the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, signs the "Waco 100" radio station banner here after p... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Live from Afghanistan…it's the Zack & Jim Show with the 1st Air Cav
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – CAMP MARMAL, Afghanistan -- Sgt. 1st Class Michael Holliday, from Elk Grove, Calif., standardization instructor for the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, talks to Zack Owen (right), one of the hosts of the "The Morning Show with Zack and... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Live from Afghanistan…it's the Zack & Jim Show with the 1st Air Cav
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – CAMP MARMAL, Afghanistan -- Zack Owen, one of the hosts of the "The Morning Show with Zack and Jim" on "Waco 100," a country music radio station based in Waco, Texas, talks to Soldiers here, Nov. 16. "The Morning Show with Zack and Jim" has been the ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Live from Afghanistan…it's the Zack & Jim Show with the 1st Air Cav
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – CAMP MARMAL, Afghanistan -- Maj. Robert Kellam (left), a native of Three Rivers, Texas, and the officer in charge of brigade logistics for the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, talks to Zack Owen (right), one of the hosts of the "The Mor... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

CAMP MARMAL, Afghanistan -- It's been almost six months since the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade deployed to Afghanistan and it can be assumed for many in the Fort Hood area it has been that long since the community has heard the voices of many 1st ACB Soldiers.

Zack Owen and Jim Cody, hosts of the "Waco 100" radio show, "The Morning Show with Zack and Jim" changed that by letting 1st ACB Soldiers voices be heard throughout Central Texas.

Owen came to Afghanistan and from November 14th through the 18th hosted their morning radio talk show live from the 1st ACB's headquarters at Camp Marmal, Afghanistan.

Over the course of the week Owen interviewed hundreds of Soldiers from the 1st ACB, 1st Cavalry Division, and let them give "shout outs" to their friends and families back home during the four-hour morning radio show.

"The Morning Show with Zack and Jim" has been the top-rated music-based morning show in the area, including Fort Hood, for 19 years, said Owen. "We have so many listeners in the Fort Hood area that Jim and I kind of feel it's our responsibility and our duty to come out here," said Owen.

"A lot of people talk the talk, but Jim and I, and Waco 100 believe that the more we do the better it is for the listeners, and the better it is for the American public, so that's why we came out here," he continued.

Command Sgt. Maj. Glen Vela, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, and the senior enlisted leader in the 1st ACB, praised the shows' efforts to highlight the brigade's Soldiers.

"These guys tell the Fort Hood story, and they get that story from the guys who are actually out there doing the job," Vela said.

The increase of morale was apparent to everyone involved with the show this week here, Vela added.

"Zack came here and put a smile on Soldiers faces every day he was here. That is really hard to do, and all of us here are really grateful for it," Vela said.

The week was a busy one for Zack, as he toured several different locations in Regional Command North, Afghanistan, to meet many of the Soldiers of the 1st ACB, and to boost morale.

One 1st ACB Soldier who noted the positive effect of the show was Spc. Roger Montalvo, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, and a human resource specialist who was present for all the shows during the course of the week.

"The Soldiers came in looking tired and unsure of what to expect, but shortly after sitting down and talking to Zack, they began to feed off his energy," Montalvo said. "They would forget they were on air and they'd just have a blast,"

"Everyone who went on the show had a great time," he said.