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380AEW Article

AFCENT band brings total force integration on tour

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Chance Babin
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  For the members of the U.S. Air Forces Central Command band, Sidewinder, their deployment to the area of responsibility has shown what total force integration is all about.

The current group is part of the Missouri Air National Guard's 571st Air Force Band; but no one would know by listening to them that they only serve one weekend a month.

During their recent visit to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, the band played five shows at all hours of the day and night, including a 1:30 a.m. show on the flightline.

Throughout their 45-day tour, the band has become a YouTube sensation and has made guest appearances on Entertainment Tonight and Fox & Friends. For the band members, however, it's bringing entertainment to the troops that matters most.

"It's really an honor to be able to come here and play for the troops," said Tech. Sgt. Kevin Meret, the AFCENT band drummer and NCO in charge. "When I joined the military what I really wanted to do was give back to my country."

Meret joined the Air Force after 9/11 when he was 29 so he could use his musical ability to raise morale for troops and let them know that people support them, he said.

For these Guardsmen, having the chance to continue their music careers in the military while juggling jobs in the real world gives them an opportunity to give back.

"I have the opportunity to do something positive with music that makes people's lives better, which is what I've always hoped to do with music," said Staff Sgt. Ransom Miller, the trumpet player for the AFCENT band, who is augmented from the Texas Air National Guard to assist Sidewinder. "Playing our music to raise morale means that the troops do their jobs better, doing the things they do to defend our country, and that makes me feel proud."

While the band may play for larger audiences stateside, the meaning of their shows while on tour is special.

"It is the best kind of entertainment we can provide," said Staff Sgt. Angie Johnson, a vocalist with Sidewinder. "These shows are worth more than any other shows we'll ever do because the people that we're performing for really need it. It's not just something they are spending money on for entertainment; it's a necessity for their morale."

Getting some national spotlight from the outside media gives the band a platform to showcase the troops.

"It gives us a great opportunity to tell what the troops are doing and to get the message out to the media that it's not all nasty and terrible," Johnson said. "Good things are happening over here."

Being in the spotlight has also enabled the group to stress the importance of military bands.

"Our career field has been recently cut by Congress mostly because most people don't realize what we are, what we do and how important our mission is." said Miller, a Fairfax, Va. native. "I think what Sidewinder will have an opportunity to do over the next few months is shine a light on our mission and help people understand the purpose that we serve."

The attention the band has received will not only help their case in Congress, Meret said, it can also benefit their local communities. In addition to their military service, many of the band members teach music in high schools and colleges back home. Meret sees the positive attention Sidewinder is getting as a way to inspire his students.

"I think it will give a lot of credibility to what I do in the Guard and can show my students the possibilities of what they can achieve," said Meret, a Kansas City, Mo., native. "I think it's great for the Guard in general, the military and the public to see the dedication it takes to be at this level--you don't come in just one weekend a month and do your job. We are all working between drills to be at our level of performance."

One of the advantages of being a Reserve component band is bringing in ideas from outside the military.

"We try to create an environment where everybody feels they are important and their voice counts," Meret said. "We take our experiences from being outside the military--because we're Guard--and put them within the military environment."

While the group is not as structured as the active-duty side, their system seems to be working.

"We take the idea of what it is like to be scraping on the outside to make ends meet as a performing starving artist and put it into our work ethic," Meret said. "I think that type of attitude really has worked well to help us grow as a group."

Meret said he's tried to create an environment for the band members to be able say what they think while respecting the other members and their talents.

"We're all trying to get better and that's created an open environment," Meret said. "We've all gone through our development as a group, so there's always a little bit of tension, but in the end when the product turns out great, everyone understands the method we have is used to get respect."

For Miller, being in the Guard has afforded him the opportunity to serve his country while still maintaining his professional career.

"When I joined up, I knew Guard bands deployed and I knew I didn't have to go all the way on active duty," Miller said. "I can still try to maintain my own professional playing career without having to commit to a day-in and day-out military life. But, I also knew I'd have the opportunity to do meaningful gigs, really meaningful gigs that make the world better."