Max Impact comes to front lines to entertain

Courtesy Photo | Air Force Master Sgt. Ryan Carson brings a smile to Staff Sgt. Rachel Cruz of Toledo, Ohio (center) and Sgt. Kendra Lee, of Champaign, Ill., both of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, during a performance March 9 at Forward Operating Base Loyalty. Carson and his band, Max Impact, entertained troops with songs from a variety of styles.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

03.13.2007

Courtesy Story

2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division

By Spc. Courtney Marulli
2nd BCT, 2nd Inf. Div. Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq — Days during a deployment can begin to run together, but Soldiers were rocked out of their monotony March 9.

The Air Force Band's rock group, Max Impact, entertained 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division members with cover songs from a variety of genres. Band members even had Soldiers sing a song or two.

Staff Sgt. Rachel Cruz, noncommissioned officer in charge of human intelligence with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, enjoyed the show and then became a part of it, as did Sgt. Kendra Lee, interpreter manager for the brigade. They were serenaded during a cover of Justin Timberlake's Senorita and came onstage for an impromptu performance.

Cruz, of Toledo, Ohio, was impressed with the talents the band showcased.
"It's not only their singing and voices but how they dedicated songs to us," she said.

Lee, of Champaign, Ill., said she didn't know what to expect, but that the concert was a welcome break.

"It made me forget about work for a while and that is very rare," she said.

The concert featured songs from artists such as U2, Metallica, Tobey Keith, The Black-Eyed Peas, Janis Joplin, and Lynard Skynard.

The array of music is designed to give all listeners something they like to hear, band members said. As long as the audience is entertained, Max Impact members know they are doing their job well.

Master Sgt. Ryan Carson of Rapid City, S.D., is the male vocalist for the group and has been a singer since childhood. He said it's the band's job to bring a piece of home to the deployed troops.

During the performance, Carson serenaded Cruz and Lee and even stood on the seats to engage his audience. Carson explained this is a way to show the audiences its importance to the band.

"If you don't engage your audience, you might as well not sing," he said.

Carson said he knows he has done his job when audience members can walk in looking like they don't want to be there and leave feeling energized and cheering the show.

"It's a sacrifice for us to be out here, but our sacrifice is so small from what Soldiers and Airmen go through out here," he said.

Max Impact sometimes entertains Soldiers who are stuck in jobs where they can't come to the shows, or who are recovering from wounds.

"We play right by their hospital bed," Carson said.

Master Sgt. Regina Coonrod, of Sparta, Tenn., provides the female vocals for the group. Coonrod started out her military career as a security forces member, the equivalent to the Army's Military Police. After three years she tried out for Topson Blue, the Air Force equivalent of the Army Soldier Show and then toured for a year. She has been with Max Impact for four years.

"There are so many things I love about performing, being able to share the gift I've been given" she said.

Performing in combat zones is one of the group's main functions, she added.

"If we don't reach them downrange we're not doing our job," she said. "It's all lipstick and rouge until you get into the thick of it."

Coonrod said she and the rest of the band appreciate all of the support and help the Army has provided in making the tour a success and in keeping them safe while they travel.

Senior Master Sgt. Rob Henley, the NCOIC and keyboardist, said it's the group's duty and pleasure to ensure the troops understand they are not forgotten. The dedication of bringing a moment of fun to troops goes beyond branch boundaries and is a military thing.

Henley, from El Paso, Texas, said he enjoys music, which has always been a part of his life. "It's a universal language," he said. "You can play for troops who don't speak English and still reach them."

Tech. Sgt. Nate Lavy of Sandusky, Ohio has played drums since he was a child. He grew up in a musical household, as his father was a band director.
"I don't know if I can quantify it into words," he said of music. "It's a way to communicate with people without words."

The pleasure of performing comes from the smiles on the faces of deployed military personnel. "It's...more important for us to come here than anywhere else," he said. "They don't get a lot of the other shows."

Chief Master Sgt. Larry MacTaggart, who will become the career field manager for the Air Force Band on May 1, has been in military for 22 years and was a prior Air Force Band regional member at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. Besides playing the drums, he writes and arranges music. The Pea Ridge, Ark., resident started playing music in the seventh grade, relatively late compared to the others. But he kept at it and taught music on his own before joining the Air Force.

Being able to come out and meet military personnel up front is quite rewarding. Even though he has played for the President of the United States and other high profile persons, it's the everyday Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines that makes all of his efforts worthwhile.

"It's hard to beat this, to see the Soldier's smile and forgetting about being here," he said.

Master Sgt. Dave Graves, the tour manager for Max Impact, said music is an international language and one that has the capacity to break down barriers of religious, ethnic and other natures. As Graves put it, "It's the most common denominator."

• Date Taken: 03.13.2007
• Date Posted: 03.13.2007 15:31
• Story ID: 9432
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ