Soldier carries musical passion into desert

Photo By Spc. Deborah Ledesma | Spc. Tim Sox, an Aviation Task Force Kuwait, 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment General Support Aviation Battalion Soldier, puts his musical talent to the test by performing in a Military Idol Competition at Fort Sill, Okla., in Sept. He finished second at Fort Sill.  

01.24.2007

Story by Spc. Deborah Ledesma 

40th Public Affairs Detachment

By Spc. Debrah A. Robertson
40th Public Affairs Detachment

KUWAIT — Joining the military to make a difference was Spc. Tim Sox's biggest priority as a young man in high school.

"It's all I wanted to do," said Sox, an administrative specialist with the Aviation Task Force Kuwait, 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment General Support Aviation Battalion, supporting Third Army/U.S. Army Central. "I wanted to do something that meant something."

Although just being in the National Guard was enough to satisfy him after experiencing the shock and grief following the Sept. 11 attacks, Sox, a Jacksonville, Fla., native, dreams of putting his other talent to work—singing.

I love singing," he said. "I can't ever stop singing."

"He sings along with everything," said Maj. Charlie Vanzant, the S-1 officer of the 1st Battalion, about Sox's office serenades.

Since he was 3 years old, Sox has sang. His entire family loves making music.

Sox happily describes his parents and stepparents musical abilities, calling his mom "the most beautiful singer in the world."

But he does not contribute his talent to good genetics alone.

"I practice, practice, practice," said Sox. "I've been in chorus my entire life."

After joining the Army in 2002, Sox and a fellow Soldier with musical talent, Sgt. 1st Class Lisa Furry, an officer recruitment administrator with the Florida National Guard in St. Augustine, Fla., began practicing the national anthem together.

Now he and Furry get calls to perform their talents before audiences. Performing the harmony portion of the duet, Sox, with his new partner, began to sing at National Guard conferences throughout Florida.

"We sang the National Anthem at the (Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States), the biggest conference for enlisted members of the National Guard," said Sox proudly.

Then, in September, Sox decided to try his luck and talent at Military Idol, a military version of the popular television show. Held at Fort Sill, Okla., where the 111th were training for their deployment to Kuwait, the competition tested Sox's vocal abilities, and he came out shining.

Sox put all of his heart into the performances, said Vanzant.

Singing the songs of his favorite musicians, Sox aced "Amazed" by Lone Star and won the favors of both the audience and the judges when he sang "God Bless the U.S.A" by Lee Greenwood.

Then, taking a key from his ability to adapt to new songs on the fly, Sox tried Los Lonely Boys' "Heaven" as his final song after only a day or so of practice.

During the performance Sox forgot the words halfway through the song, placing him as second, but he braved his embarrassment to come back on stage to finish it at the end of the competition.

"You should have sung a song you knew," the judges told Sox.

"I learned humility there," he said.

Not giving up on his dream, Sox practices his singing ability whenever the chance arises and combines it with his love of the military whenever he can perform as a Soldier.

• Date Taken: 01.24.2007
• Date Posted: 01.24.2007 09:15
• Story ID: 8914