News>Feature - AFCENT band performs for Afghans, bridges differences
Photos
Tech. Sgt. Jeff Valentine, a U.S. Air Force Central Expeditionary Band steel guitarist and vocalist, allows Afghan children to play his instrument, April 20, 2011, at the Egyptian Field Hospital at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Sheila deVera)
Tech. Sgt. Stephen Brannen, a U.S. Air Force Central Expeditionary Band guitarist and vocalist, allows Afghan children to play his guitar, April 20, 2011, at the Egyptian Field Hospital at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Sheila deVera)
Tech. Sgt. Tim Stombaugh, a U.S. Air Force Central Expeditionary Band drummer and vocalist, allows Afghan children to play his drum set, April 20, 2011, at the Egyptian Field Hospital at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Sheila deVera)
by Master Sgt. Michael Voss
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
4/25/2011 - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- It has been said that music and words together can be a very powerful tool, but can music be the link that brings an understanding between cultures?
The U.S. Air Forces Central Expeditionary Band strives to provide this understanding in every performance, as with their special show for Afghans at the Egyptian Field Hospital here April 20.
Traveling throughout Afghanistan, Wild Blue Country relies on the beat of a bass drum and the melody of an electric guitar to provide a forum to advance international relationships, bridging language, cultural, societal and socio-economic differences.
In the first performance at the hospital by a U.S. military band, the country music group used more than lyrics to communicate messages to the Afghans.
"We often tour environments where we don't understand our audience and they don't understand us, but we use music to break those barriers," said Senior Master Sgt. Jerome Oddo, Wild Blue Country's bass guitarist and singer. "Music brings us together. Even if they don't understand our language or what we are saying, they see the emotion of what we are singing about. Soon, they start clapping and having a good time. It's like being in an intense meeting and someone cracks a quick joke. It is the conduit that brings people together."
Operated by the Egyptian military, with security provided by U.S. Air Force security forces, the hospital, which opened its door in 2003, treats more than 7,000 Afghans per month, including women and children.
The hour-long performance was much more than just the first time an Air Force band performed at the hospital; it showed all three cultures that music could bridge differences.
"It doesn't matter that they don't know the words," said Master Sgt. Janusz Masztalerz, Wild Blue Country's sound engineer. "Especially with country music, it is about hard-working people and family."
During the performance, the band took time simply interacting with the locals, giving out CDs and letting them see the instruments they use for their shows. The band admits the door opening usually starts with kids, but after time the adults start checking them out, which allows the locals to see a different side of Airmen.
"We have played for young people all over the world, places where they don't ordinarily see service members play and dance and sing," said Tech. Sgt. Stephen Brannen, Wild Blue Country's guitar and vocalist. "They have jobs to do, but with us they get to see a different side. We debunk the image they have of the U.S. being kind of cold. We help them understand we are really just like them, so now when they see a Soldier with a gun walking down the street, they think of us and remember that young man or woman has feelings and a family just like them."
Even with security and free health-care, the trust between Bagram and its neighbors is often tested by attacks from insurgents, but events like this provide a chance for a real understanding, band members said.
"I think culturally a band does help bridge gaps between societies, because music is universal and you could tell that it was a highpoint in their day, maybe even week," said Staff Sgt. Jezreal Rogers, a 455th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron member who attended the concert. "Sounds from drums (or) guitars, or dancing for that matter, are not foreign to anyone."
Though the members of Wild Blue Country will likely be long gone by the time any real effects surface, the band knows they are starting a process that will grow overtime.
"We realize we are planting a seed that may take years to grow, especially since some ideas have been ingrained about certain cultures, but we are planning on relations that may come 20 to 25 years down the road," Sergeant Oddo said.
At Bagram, the band may have done more than plant a seed, they may have enhanced an already growing relationship between the Afghans and U.S. and Egyptian military.
"This is the first time we have had a musical band come to the hospital," said Egyptian Col. Tarek Eid, the Egyptian Field Hospital commander. "Their performance made the children inside the hospital very happy. We hope to see more of the bands in the future."
Comments
1/27/2012 5:52:02 PM ET In addition to ceremonial purposes, AF Bands deploy and create relationships with foreign publics that are indispensable yet difficult to quantify. If someone who only gets negative info about the U.S. hears an AF band and interacts with its members, they might have second thoughts and decide that Americans aren't so bad after all. How much is that worth to you?
Greg, Texas
1/27/2012 5:44:55 PM ET Thanks Joe Texas
Greg, Texas
5/2/2011 9:59:49 AM ET I get it that at times the band can make a difference. However, I still believe cuts need to be made. The Tops in Blue manning is taken out of hide from units. The units cover the work while their members go TDY for however long their Tops in Blue tour lasts. Bands are made up of funded authorized positions. So as we tell people they need to get out, there are a lot of band positions counting against our end strength. It's time to scale that number back and put those funded positions elsewhere.
MM, FL
4/30/2011 10:11:37 AM ET I was at this performance at the Egyptian Hospital. Talking to some of the Afghans who witnessed it, they told me this was the first time they'd seen a live band. Music was something the Taliban had banned, so they were very interested and seemed to enjoy it thoroughly - especially the kids.
Capt Slater, Bagram
4/28/2011 9:57:45 PM ET Perhaps you all should actually research the bands and learn a little about what a viable tool they are as members of the Public Affairs team. People often short sell these guys because they associate them with Tops in Blue which is part of AF Services. Bands are full-time professionals, mostly enlisted, who usually possess a minimum Bachelors degree. Public Affairs commanders love their bands because these folks can tap into people both stateside and abroad in a way no other form of communication can. MAJCOM commanders love the bands because they use them as means of diplomacy both to the American public and to the international community. Don't you think it's best to send a band out to an Afghan community to display a positive image of the U.S. and win their support rather than some terrorist organization reaching these folks first? There's a purpose here. Although you may not get it, folks at the top do, which is why bands are around. Do your research before you start puttin
JP, MD
4/28/2011 5:11:03 PM ET @M.McCoy - While I fully respect your opinion, I shudder to imagine the day when we no longer participate in important drill and ceremony events without a real military band. It would not be the same to hear Ruffles and Flourishes or the Air Force Song bleating out from a CD player. As mentioned in my previous post, there are hundreds of other places where we can save money without killing off the bands program which promotes both morale and understanding.
Joe, Texas
4/28/2011 10:27:21 AM ET @Joe - while you may be a fan and there may actually be some benefit to having the bands, the country faces extreme debt leading to cuts in military funding which leads to decreased manpower and equipment. Something needs to go and as Albert Einstein succinctly put it - The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them. It's time to look past the status quo and actually make the necessary changes that are needed before we reach the point of no return and life in the United States is no longer what it was or what its capable of being. Of course some could argue that weve already reached this point. I commend the efforts of the musicians trying their best to make a difference but, I'm sorry, its time to go.
M.McCoy, FL
4/27/2011 3:45:50 PM ET I am an Air Force logistician and a huge fan of the bands program. While I cannot speak for Tops in Blue, I find it completely sad that Air Force bands are consistently disparaged so openly within our ranks. Bands have always played a strong role in military tradition and they continue to offer tangible benefits to our service by creating bridges between our country and other nations. Where words fail, music often prevails. More money is wasted in uniform changes than in the bands program. Get real.
Joe, Texas
4/27/2011 2:03:45 PM ET Why are we wasting money on this? Just like Tops in Blue. A joke and embarrassment to the AF.
That Guy, No Hope Pope
4/25/2011 6:25:00 PM ET FWA strikes again. No money for flight suits but somehow this gets justified. Its sickening as an American tax payer and a reservist to see this is an approved fiscal decision.
