Stephen Colbert had veterans roaring at the ninth annual IAVA Heroes Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street.
“The Late Show” host reminisced about taking his old “Colbert Report” to Baghdad in 2009.
“We did a week of shows for active-duty service members . . . Before I got there, the only entertainment they had was drawing an extra mustache on all those portraits of Saddam,” Colbert quipped. “It was a moving experience for me. And to this day, when I want to recapture that one week in Iraq, I fill my mouth with sand and squat in a kiln.”
Willie Geist hosted the gala which honored Daniel Rodriguez, Scott Wine, Greg D’Alba, Joe Abruzzese and Paul Rieckhoff. The evening raised more than $1.2 million.