Unbeatable team opens Street League competition

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Meredith Mingledorff
  • 944th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  They arrive hours early to the detail, carefully planning out each step and movement with the precision that has become synonymous with Honor Guard. They are dressed to perfection and don their uniforms with pride no matter their environment. Members of the Luke Air Force Base Honor Guard are the picture of military professionalism, and on this day, July 14, opening the Street League Extreme Skateboarding Competition, it is no different.

When they arrive, Jobing.com Arena is not yet packed, that will change. Within hours hundreds of people will fill the Arizona venue and watch as the Honor Guard open the event by presenting this nation's colors. They are accompanied by Staff Sgt. Rickie Rosales, a newcomer to Luke, not to service. Rosales toured professionally for years with Tops in Blue, the Air Force's premiere entertainment group. He will move this unsuspecting audience with the same talent he had on Active Duty, now as a Reservist.

The practice goes off well, but the team goes somewhere private to perfect issues no one else would see. The singer is prepared, calmly sipping water, discussing mentoring in the military. Another hour passes and the team is at the ready. Patrons relax but the Air Force is on parade, standing at the sidelines of the custom skate-park, waiting only for a cue before they move a muscle.

They are filmed, they are photographed, they are still. This is America's Air Force for the world to see. The lights dim and the arena is dark. They must find their way through a small opening, into the rink, spotlights blur their sight. They have Rosales and a camera crew to lead the way.

As the announcer booms, the crowd cheers, Luke Air Force Base Honor Guard is scrolled across a screen in giant letters. Staff Sgt. Rosales is announced and he begins to sing, from this Airman comes a moving rendition of the national anthem. There is no music, just the strength and power of a professional voice, a professional Airman. The crowd is moved first to silence and then to joy. They holler with excitement as Rosales sings, "land of the free."

A note held and a country served by the United States Air Force.

These are the members of the 944th and 56th Fighter Wings, an unbeatable team of professionals working together to serve the United States of America. If you're interested in joining the team, visit U.S. Air Force Recruiting at www.airforce.com or www.afreserve.com for more information.