To many, the idea of doing a tour of duty in Iraq is no laughing matter. Yet for Jim McCue, along with fellow Boston comedian and friend Joey Carroll, that’s exactly what it is, as they perform stand-up comedy to bring smiles and laughter to the troops’ otherwise very serious lives.

Now the Boston comedian and author of book Embedded Comedian, Jim McCue, performs with The Sopranos’ Frank Santorelli and the Island’s Marty Nadler, on Saturday, Sept. 22, at Outerland at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport.

Mr. McCue’s book gives his true account of entertaining our troops overseas while keeping a sense of humor intact. His memoir, taken from his journal entries while stationed abroad, explores the fine line between laughter and sorrow as he experiences what it is like to live as a soldier in a war zone on a 30-day adventure leaving both Mr. Carroll and himself embedded in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and finally Iraq.

Whether they are being jostled from one form of transportation to another, staying in makeshift quarters, stranded on a military base, visiting a prison, or avoiding thoughts about land mines or bombs, both men remind themselves why they are there in the first place and the mission they’ve set out on — to provide a mental break for the men and women overseas risking their lives for their country.

Mr. McCue’s reflections on each new experience, such as visiting the mess hall at Camp Diamondback where a bomb killed 22 people including 14 U.S. soldiers, are sharp and accessible, and provide the opportunity to follow along with both comedians as they take off for duty without being given any itinerary for security purposes, being told as they go along what to eat, where to go and what to do.

Embedded Comedian, an honest portrayal of the U.S. military through the eyes of a comedian, will be published on Nov. 14.

Tickets to the Outerland show are $15 show only, or $39.95 for show and all-you-can-eat Italian dinner buffet ($75 per couple) are at outerlandmv.com or 508-693-1137.