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380AEW Article

380th Airmen jam with AFCENT band

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. J.G. Buzanowski
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  When the Air Forces Central Band Afterburner visited the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Jan. 20-22, a few guest musicians helped them entertain the troops.

Several 380th Airmen showcased their musical talent with the nine-piece rock band, deployed from Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.

"When I found out we'd have this opportunity, I absolutely jumped at it," said Airman 1st Class Mattison Williams, an Irmo, S.C. native deployed from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. "Having the band here most definitely brightened up our days, but getting to play with them was the coolest thing in the world."

Williams channeled his inner James Brown for an enthusiastic performance of "I Feel Good," at the start of one of two shows featuring 380th AEW Airmen. In addition, other guest artists from around the wing sang and one even played bass guitar.

"This was a little different than what we usually do," said Master Sgt. Ted Stearns. "There's a lot of quality talent around here. The shows were great and I think everyone had a good time; I know we did."

The band played a total of nine shows, ranging from their full set for larger audiences to smaller, acoustic sets in work centers where people wouldn't have the opportunity to see the main performances, like Senior Airman Luisa Martinez, 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron.

"It showed us that they cared enough to come out and see us," said Martinez, a West Palm Beach, Fla., native deployed from Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. "It was great to have a little break from the day. We work hard, so it's nice to have fun when we can."

According to Tech. Sgt. Kim Lively, the lead singer for Afterburner, rejuvenating morale is exactly what they hope to do during every one their performances.

"When you're deployed, it gets difficult because you're away from friends and family, so if we can just take people away from their jobs for a few minutes and help make them happy, then it's worth it to us," she said. "It's our way of saying 'thank you' to everyone out here."

As a supervisor, Army Sgt. 1st Class Kelly Corbit appreciated the morale boost the band performances gave her Soldiers stationed here.

"It was good to have a nice refresher before getting back to work," said the Jacksonville, Fla., native deployed from Ft. Bragg, N.C. "We push our Soldiers pretty hard, so anything that helps them and their morale has a big impact on our mission. Happier Soldiers are more productive Soldiers."

Afterburner is the Air Force band currently deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. As the AFCENT Band, the Airmen spend most of their three-month deployment traveling to installations around Southwest Asia. Afterburner has performed more than 60 shows for thousands of service members and civilians in five countries since Dec. 1, 2011.