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'Volunteers' Come To Iraq
(October 15, 2010) | 
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Staff Sgt. Randy B. Wight from Syracuse, N.Y. with the U.S. Army Field Band "The Volunteers" from Fort Meade, MD
sings for troops at Camp Victory, Iraq on September 19, 2010. Photo by
Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Yarnall |
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(October 12, 2010) --
“The Volunteers” of the U.S. Army Field Band
entertained service members at Camp Victory
Sept. 19 during their first tour in a combat
zone.
The band, known for entertaining civilian crowds
in the U.S., came to Iraq and Kuwait to play for
deployed service members in an effort to boost
morale.
“The band performance was awesome. I was really
surprised and I'm very glad they came out here
to entertain us,” said Chief Warrant Officer
Kenneth J. Young, aviation safety officer for
Company B, III Corps Special Troops Battalion,
United States Forces-Iraq.
The band plays a wide range of music from rhythm
and blues, country, and classic rock to
contemporary music. |
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The two vocalists of the band, Sfc. April D. Boucher from Coshocton, Ohio and
Staff Sgt. Randy B. Wight from Syracuse N.Y., performed popular songs by Rhianna,
Ozzy Osbourne and Lady Gaga among others during their show.
“We look at the audience from day to day and see who's coming and then we adjust
our set list accordingly,” said Sgt. Maj. Kirk Kadish, sergeant major of the
U.S. Army Field Band.
Kadish, a member of the band for 16 years said he is honored and very proud to
meet the service members who have made the difference for a better Iraq.
Sfc. Peter Krasulski, the bass guitarist for the band, was deployed in 2003 with
the 4th Infantry Division Band in Iraq; he described his experience being
deployed
as “eye opening.”
Krasulski said coming back seven years after his last deployment reminds him of
what his fellow service members go through on a daily basis and what their
living conditions are like compared to what soldiers have back home.
The band members said they would like to schedule another tour to perform for
service members in Afghanistan.
“To play for the American public is one great thing,” Krasulski said, “but to
play for American service members to lift their spirits and remind them that
what they're doing is important, is the greatest feeling.” | |
By Army SSgt. Edward Daileg
305th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Copyright 2010
Provided
through DVIDS
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