Photo By Master Sgt. Matthew Keeler | The rock band, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, performs a free show on Feb. 7, for service...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - With hundreds of service members crowding the edge of Sustainment Theater’s stage, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus rocked a free concert Feb. 9, at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.
“This song is the story of the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus put into a song,” Ronnie Winter, the lead vocalist of RJA, said introducing a little about the band to crowd before their next song. “We are five kids from the same hometown, not put together by a label, not put together by a corporation, put together by friendship and music. This song is called ‘In Fate’s Hands’”.
The story of how the band was chosen is an adventure of its own.
“We were told three weeks to prepare, and then we left Feb. 2,” said Staci Winter, manager of video and audio for RJA and married to Ronnie Winter.
RJA was instructed to bare-bone their equipment due to transportation issues that might arise during their travels, and to make it easier for set up and break down, she said.
“We did a few shows in Kuwait, two shows in Baghdad and here we are in [Joint Base] Balad,” said Ronnie Winter. “We have a few more shows to go before we head home. It’s a lot to take in at once, I’ll tell you what.”
For RJA it was the first time that they had been to Iraq, but performing for the troops was something that they had been trying to do.
“We have been wanting to do something like this for a long time,” said John Wilkes, drummer for RJA. “The stars aligned, giving us the opportunity to be here.”
For other members of the band, seeing the country with their own eyes was a real change from their normal life.
Matt Carter, rhythm guitar for RJA, felt very privileged and honored to come to Iraq, because a lot of people that aren’t in the military do not get a chance to come here, and hear some of the different stories.
While not performing their shows at different forward operating bases, the band has gotten a chance to see and experience different duties of the service members.
“We have a lot of respect for the things that you [service members] do day in and day out for us, and the United States,” Staci said.
Ronnie Winter even went into a little story about his experience on their tour in Iraq.
I’m a little uncomfortable about flying, and yesterday we did our first tactical landing, said Ronnie Winter. “Let’s just say I kind of thought we were going down.”
All of this added experience with the service members of Iraq and Kuwait has helped open their eyes to what the troops go through day in and day out, said Wilkes. “As Americans I feel we have really big hearts. That’s why I’m here, and that’s why you are here.”
“A lot of our friends and family were concerned about us [RJA] coming here, but I don’t feel like we have been in any more danger than you [service members] are in everyday,” said Staci. “I’ve been really blessed to get a chance to come here.”
RJA performed a number of their well-known songs like “Face Down,” “Choke,” and “False Pretense,” which was featured in the movie, “Never Back Down.” As part of their visit to JBB, the band offered free CDs to the service members.
“Make sure you grab a free CD, before you leave, because remember we are here for you guys,” said Ronne Winter, before the end of the concert.
After the performance, service members got a chance to get a free compilation of some of their songs played during the show, while meeting the band.
Pfc. Scott Waterman, a convoy escort team driver with Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and a Portland, Ore., native, presented something special to Ronnie Winter after the concert, the combat patch from his right shoulder.
“Walking up and saying thank you to them [RJA] is one thing,” said Waterman. “But, presenting them a combat patch is something that they will never forget.”
“When I first presented the patch to him [Ronnie Winter], he was really appreciated and thankful. He thought it was the coolest thing, because no one has ever given him a patch before,” said Waterman. “He told me that this meant a lot to him, and that he would hold onto it.”
It really meant a lot to Waterman the way Ronnie Winter accepted the patch, and didn’t simply brush it off, he said. “It helped prove that they were really here to support us.”
A soldier is presented a combat patch for serving with a unit in a combat zone.
After every service member’s CD was signed, photos had been taken, and hands were shook, the band was able to head back to their living quarters. The next morning they would board transportation, and head to the next show in support of the troops.
Even when the echoes of the show were silent, Ronnie Winter’s final words to the troops during the show still remained in the air of the Sustainer Theater, “God bless you guys, and God bless the United States of America.”
| Date Taken: | 02.09.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.13.2011 17:52 |
| Story ID: | 65374 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 340 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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