Stand-up comedian
Thom Tran
Stand-up comic and US Army combat veteran mining his own Iraq tour — including the sniper round to the back of the head — for jokes.
The question everybody asks
What happened to him in Iraq?
He was shot in the back of the head by a sniper in Iraq in 2003, finished the tour, and was medically retired in 2005. He is a Purple Heart recipient, and he mines that experience on stage rather than working around it — his 2017 Laugh Factory set is titled "Perks of a Purple Heart".
The bits
Explaining Army Stuff
His recurring "Explaining Army Stuff to Normies" franchise walks civilians through military life.
Perks of a Purple Heart
"Perks of a Purple Heart" (2017, Laugh Factory YouTube) turns the wound and the medal that followed into material.
Local Boy Done... Meh
"Local Boy Done... Meh" (2025) is his self-released special on YouTube.
Nerd and Guitarist
Nerd-culture material and rock guitar run through the act — he bills himself as "Comedian. Guitarist. Nerd." and plays lead guitar in The Bridge Crue.
The GIs of Comedy
He created The GIs of Comedy, the veteran stand-up package that has raised $50,000+ for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
About
Military-and-veteran-rooted observational stand-up built from his own combat experience — shot in the back of the head by a sniper in Iraq in 2003, finished the tour, medically retired 2005 — mining that trauma rather than working around it. Recurring 'Explaining Army Stuff to Normies' franchise, plus nerd-culture material and rock guitar.
Specials & albums
- Local Boy Done... Meh (2025, self-released on YouTube)
- Perks of a Purple Heart (2017, Laugh Factory YouTube)
Seen on
Credits
- Bosch: Legacy (Amazon, 2022-2025)
- My Dead Friend Zoe (2024) with Morgan Freeman
- Larry Charles' Dangerous World of Comedy (Netflix, 2019)
- Black-ish (ABC)
- SEAL Team (CBS)
- NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
- Creator, The GIs of Comedy — $50,000+ raised for Special Operations Warrior Foundation
Find Thom everywhere
Press & venue bios
- Thom Tran | Keynote Speakerleadingauthorities.com
- Thom Tranlaughfactory.com
- Thom Tran - Standup Comedian | Actor | Public Speakerlinkedin.com
- 14. Thom Tran - Comedy Anatomycomedyanatomy.com
Recent performances · 9
- WNED Studios, Buffalo (from their site)
- Bellflower Comedy Club, Bellflower (from their site)
- JW Marriott Tampa, Tampa (from their site)
- Sidesplitters Comedy Club, Tampa (from their site)
- National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green (from their site)
- National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green (from their site)
- Louisville Comedy, Louisville (from their site)
- Louisville Comedy, Louisville (from their site)
- Zanies Comedy Night Club, Nashville
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