Soldier inspired to sing at Army birthday celebration

Photo By Dustin Senger | U.S. Army Spc. Lisa Ratliff, from Copperas Cove, Texas, checks communication equipment...... read more read more

Photo By Dustin Senger | U.S. Army Spc. Lisa Ratliff, from Copperas Cove, Texas, checks communication equipment with Sgt. Stephen De Freitas, from Long Island, N.Y., at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, June 13. "Having a dedicated non-commissioned officer has helped me get to where I am right now," said Ratliff. "He has helped me succeed in a lot of areas."  see less | View Image Page

CAMP AS SALIYAH, QATAR

06.13.2009

Story by Dustin Senger 

Area Support Group - Qatar

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CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar — "I was really nervous but inspired," said U.S. Army Spc. Lisa Ratliff, from Copperas Cove, Texas, after a solo performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner," during a celebration of the 234th Army birthday at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, June 12. "To honor the Year of the Non-commissioned Officer, I was hoping to help make the Army birthday ball in Qatar something spectacular."

Ratliff arrived to the Qatar base with a 1st Cavalry Division Special Troops Battalion tactical hub in December 2008. She helps support communication requirements in Iraq. Summer military duty on the Arabian Peninsula is exhausting, given the hot desert climate. To relax in a cooler evening ambiance, Ratliff frequently participates in the installation's biweekly karaoke nights, organized by the Area Support Group Qatar morale, welfare and recreation team.

"I enjoy sharing my talents and entertaining," said Ratliff. Her frequent interest in karaoke evolved to an appearance in a February talent show at Camp As Sayliyah. She earned second place singing "My Immortal," a song by the rock band Evanescence. "I remember my knees shaking quite a bit during the talent show, but everyone gets a little stage fright once in awhile. For me, it's never to a point that I fail at what I am trying to do."

"My first experience singing was as an eighth-grade student at South Central Elementary School in Jonesborough, Tenn.," she said. "As a community project, my class put together a folklore book by going door-to-door asking people about stories they'd heard. Our finished book, 'Stories from the Nolichucky River Valley,' gained lots of attention as an impressive collection of local legends prepared by a bunch of teenagers."

Inspired, she decided to write a few verses about the book's contents and then sing them in class. According to Ratliff, the song "stuck" and subsequently helped take the small-town class project to another level. The book was eventually featured on the evening news, along with Ratliff singing her rendition of the folklore stories.

At 19 years old, Ratliff enlisted in the Army, after moving to Copperas Cove, Texas.

"It's my goal to become a sergeant," she said, with over three years of service. "I felt singing the national anthem at the Army birthday ball was another way for me to grow professionally toward my next promotion. I still have a few steps to take before pinning it on my uniform, but I am actively knocking them down one at a time."

"While in the Army, I've been asked to sing at promotion and change of responsibility ceremonies for 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Gordon, Ga.," said Ratliff. "Singing the national anthem has always meant more to me than anything else. Coming from a military family, you can't help but feel pride in your country... and singing the national anthem is all about expressing patriotism. It's a way to stand up and represent the United States of America." Ratliff gained a lot of attention in Qatar after singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" during a formal Memorial Day observance at Camp As Sayliyah, March 25.

The Army birthday solo positioned the Soldier in front of her largest audience ever: several hundred Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Marines, as well as Department of Defense civilians and contractors. The audience applauded immediately following her performance.

"I'm glad my sergeant pushed me to sing at the Army birthday ball," she said, referring to Sgt. Stephen De Freitas, from Long Island, N.Y. "Having a dedicated non-commissioned officer has helped me get to where I am right now. He has helped me succeed in a lot of areas."

"It's important for NCOs to build confidence in their Soldiers," said Freitas. "Standing up and singing the national anthem on stage, in front of a large group of people, promotes military bearing in a very patriotic way — you're singing for your country."