McChord Airman ‘living the dream’

Member of the 62nd Maintenance Squadron returns to JBLM with Tops in Blue song and dance performers

Lorin T. Smith/Northwest Guardian

The Joint Base Lewis-McChord community is in for a free, entertaining treat Tuesday as the base’s own Senior Airman James Santos returns home to perform with the Tops in Blue crew at Hangar No. 9 on McChord Field at 7 p.m.

The trumpet player with the 62nd Maintenance Squadron has been “living the dream” the past few months touring around the world with the Air Force’s elite song and dance performing show.

Tops in Blue brings together the best singing, dancing, and instrument-playing talent the Air Force offers. This year’s theme is “Rhythm Nation,” bringing to life the music of America. Guests will see and hear song and dance from the early 1900s through today, including Nat King Cole’s jazz, 50’s-style rock ‘n’ roll from Little Richard, Marvin Gaye and the “Motown sound” and current hits by Jennifer Lopez and Michael Franti, to name a few. Tops in Blue sang “America the Beautiful” with “Glee” star Lea Michele at Super Bowl XLV earlier this year. The 2011

Tops in Blue tour extends across 20 countries, with more than 140 performances during a 10-month span, according to a Tops in Blue press release.

Memories Santos will cherish forever came about thanks to Tops in Blue. While the team visited a home for wounded warriors, Santos talked to a Soldier who became injured while deployed. The Soldier had driven back into combat to save his friend when a secondary IED exploded and hit him in the head. The Soldier cracked his skull from the blast, but he still managed to save his friend. Santos said the person kept telling him that he wanted to get back to his unit and felt guilty about being injured.

“We are just like, ‘Yeah, I just play the trumpet,’” Santos said. “Those guys are the real reason we do this.” Another of Santos’ memory speaks to the connection Tops in Blue has with Families separated thousands of miles apart. A chief master sergeant told Santos after a show in the Middle East that his daughter at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., saw Tops in Blue perform just a few weeks earlier. The chief felt more connected to his daughter because they had both seen the same show.

“You forget how much joy a show like this can bring to people,” Santos said. “It’s amazing to be a part of it.” Santos joins 35 to 40 other Airmen with roles as vocalists, musicians, dancers and technicians. Under the guidance of five technical personnel, the performing team is responsible for setting up more than 60,000 pounds of staging, lighting, audio, video and special effects equipment required for each performance. The entire Tops in Blue team also sets up and tears down the stage every night, serving as their own “road crew.”

Those planning to attend JBLM’s show must be on the lookout for Santos’ family and friends. He will reunite with his fiancée, grandparents from Port Townsend, and his roommate living in Tacoma. Other close friends live in Olympia, and all are planning to cheer on Santos. “I was very fortunate to get the assignment I got,” Santos said.

Santos’ excitement about coming back to JBLM is magnified because his family, friends and possibly entire unit will be watching him. But he plans to manage the pressure by thinking about the JBLM show as just any other show. “Every show is opening night,” he said. “We live our show life as if this is the first show and the last show we are going to play, and for most people, it is.”