Expeditionary bands play for troops in Southwest Asia

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein
  • U.S. Central Command Air Forces Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  For Army Spc. Jose Feurtado, there were no thoughts of the combat wounds healing in his neck.

There were no thoughts of the mortar attack in Baghdad that put them there two weeks before.

There were no thoughts of his upcoming return to the combat zone from his convalescent leave at the 379th Expeditionary Wing at this undisclosed location.

There was just him, the bongos and the band.

"I felt great up there," said Specialist Feurtado about his place on stage as an impromptu member of the U.S. Central Air Forces Expeditionary Band's "Live Round" ensemble during their performance here June 16. "It was very normal for me and it made me feel pretty good."

Specialist Feurtado, who has played percussion instruments for as long as he could remember, and the band performed for a crowd of about 1,500 servicemembers and civilians here. Many were singing, dancing and even hopping on stage during the three-hour show to perform songs along with both Live Round and Thunder Roll, another CENTAF Expeditionary Band ensemble.

"It was very daunting to go up on the stage," said Tech. Sgt. Michael Ventura, from the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron here, who came up out of the audience to sing an opera piece. Sergeant Ventura is a professional opera singer when not serving his time as an Air Force reservist out of Homestead Air Force Reserve Base, Fla., "I wasn't sure how opera would be received, but there was a good energy tonight from the crowd and it was very fun."

Along with opera, audience members were treated to a wide range of music, from Lynyrd Skynyrd classics to KT Tunstall and Michael Buble pop songs. There was even a stirring medley of Celtic tunes performed on the bagpipes.

The concert was the first public performance for the two ensembles. Live Round is made up of Air Force Reserve musicians from the Air Force Reserve Command at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., while Thunder Roll is made up of Air National Guard musicians based out of Peoria, Illinois. Both will travel to various forward operating locations in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

"These guys are very excited and ready to go," said Senior Master Sgt. Roger Mason, enlisted program manager for Air National Guard bands, who traveled with Thunder Roll. "When the opportunity came up for the band members to deploy, they all volunteered to go. For some people, serving in the military is a profession. Serving and playing music is our passion." 

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