WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- Funnyman Jon Stewart took a serious tone Tuesday night as one of the co-hosts at the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore's Annual Awards Dinner.
Celebrating their 75th anniversary, the USO honored service members from Special Operations Forces of each branch of service.
Passionate in his support for those troops, the former host of The Daily Show stressed that the country is not doing enough to support the military.
"We talk about the one percent in this country, but the real one percent are the military and the military families and there's no connection anymore between the military and the general population," Stewart told WUSA9.
"The general population has put on blinders and hasn't thought about what these families go through. A, when they are deployed, B, if they're wounded, what their families have to deal with. I think the military and their families have to be woven back in to the mainstream of American society. A, more Americans need to be cognizant of it and, B, more Americans need to give of themselves to that. It can't just all - the onus of all of it can't be on this small group of people who happen to be willing to do it," said Stewart.
The comedian and political commentator described a critical and ever-growing gap that exists between military and civilian populations.
"Something has to bridge that gap, whatever that - if it means service, a draft, not necessarily military but something that brings to bear that involves us with each other again. I think we're going in the wrong direction when it comes to that. I think it's policy - the more you can hide the military the more you can put them through without the country raising an outcry," said Stewart.
He added that the gap he described manifests itself in many ways from jobs to medical treatment.
"There's many different avenues of it but I'm talking about post-deployment, when you're getting back into the workforce you have all these individuals who have delivered a team effort of cooperation and mission-specific action and under pressure, under terrible conditions, now they come back to a workforce in the United States that has no idea what their skills translate into or what that is and are somewhat fearful of what that is," explained Stewart. "Medical, I hear stories constantly that when you're in the Army they care greatly about you but as soon as you're out, 'get in line.'"
Stewart insisted that supporting the troops cannot merely be a slogan.
"It's not something that can just be done necessarily by individuals because I think individuals do a good job. I think there has to be a more consistent, concerted effort. We can't just rely on - people are busy, they have difficult lives - there has to be a more concerted effort through organizations, governmental, specifically," he said.
Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, Stewart has made regular visits to military installations overseas in an effort to boost morale. He said he is awed, often even embarrassed by the gratitude they show him considering all the sacrifices they've made.
It was a year ago when Stewart announced he was leaving the incredibly popular Daily Show, Comedy Central's news satire television program, after a 16 year run. His final show aired in August but he has continued acting, producing and directing.
WUSA9 asked Stewart, who now sports a graying beard, what his next professional move will be and if he's considering a run for political office.
"I'll tell you what's next," he said, pointing to his beard, "I'm going to grow this out this way," he said, pointing out, away from either side of his face, "I'm not going to run for office but I am going to grow a beard like a nineteenth century president. I'm going to go {President Martin} van Buren," joked Stewart.
Despite spending years on his show parsing the words, actions, failures and often, hypocrisies of American leaders and making it popular in a way that few, if any, have before, Stewart insists he's not paying attention to the 2016 presidential race.
"I don't follow it. I'm living my life, petting pig's bellies," joked Stewart.
Obviously, he hasn't lost his comedic touch.
