Two Alamo City Airmen vie for 'American Idol' spot

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Phyllis E. Duff
  • Air Force News Agency
SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) --  A former "Tops in Blue" performer and an Air Force chaplain's assistant turned Batman are a step closer to stardom.

Staff Sgts. Keith Loudermill and James Warren, both from Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, each earned a "golden ticket" Aug. 11 at the Alamodome here for a shot at becoming the next "American Idol."

Sergeant Warren admits his Batman gimmick might have been an influence in him making it past thousands of other competitors. When the San Antonio native was selected, he tucked his ticket, just a yellow sheet of paper, under his black cape and walked toward the "loser" doors. He then turned around and revealed the honor to the crowd.

They roared and were on their feet, "like winning the Super Bowl." He'll never forget that moment, he said.

"I'm going to give it my best shot," Sergeant Warren said, "but it would be a fluke if I made it to the next round, because there are a lot of talented people in this."

Sergeant Warren nabbed more than 33 minutes of airtime on the four local news networks and many local radio stations. Many people asked why he wasn't jumping up and down and screaming.

"You're looking for Joker. I'm Batman," was his reply.

In a few weeks he will try his talent, or luck, singing a throaty rendition of the song "Hero," by the band Nickelback.

The other golden ticket winner, Sergeant Loudermill, who works in officer assignments at the Air Force Personnel Center, took the day off to simply try out for the opportunity.

"You just never know," he said of becoming the next "American Idol."

In the next round of competition, Sergeant Loudermill, from Pasadena, Maryland, a singer since he was eight, will croon the crowd with "Wind Beneath My Wings."

The judges could only say, "Wow!" Sergeant Loudermill said. He admits he was worried because literally hundreds of others before him went on stage and were swept away in a flash.

Sergeant Loudermill thinks it would be great if a servicemember made it on the FOX television show.

"We're the people that really make the American dream a reality," he said.

Another Airman, dental technician Staff Sgt. Crystal Brown of Lackland Air Force Base, did not make it despite her second year trying. 

"They just weren't ready for me yet," she said.

"I definitely want to try out for 'Tops in Blue' though, before I get out of the Air Force," said the sergeant from Killeen, Texas.