Photo By Staff Sgt. Aubrey White | U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Scott Fridinger, additional duty first sergeant assigned to...... read more read more
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LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. - With every flip of his cards, U.S. Airmen’s eyes light up like children witnessing phenomena for the first time. The Airmen don’t know whether they feel astonished, inquisitive, or a mixture of those emotions, but what they do know is they want to see more.
From a distance, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Scott Fridinger, Air Combat Command Communications Support Squadron, looks like any other senior noncommissioned officer; his uniform is in order, military-issued silver glasses frame his eyes, his hair trimmed with precision. But what makes him unique is what he carries in his briefcase and how he uses its’ contents to connect with those he encounters every day.
“I can’t sing, I have no rhythm, I have no musical talent – no talents whatsoever, so why not do magic?” the magician said jokingly. “When you do the tricks, people always say, ‘how do you do that?’ but you don’t really want to know because it ruins it.”
Fridinger began practicing magic after a high school trip to New York where he visited a magic shop. Not until after years of mastering his craft, and with a lot of encouragement from his wife, did the magician think of expanding his capabilities.
“When I met [my wife] I had a briefcase full of card tricks and she was like, ‘Why don’t you do more with that?’,” Fridinger recalled. “Now I have a room full of magic tricks, I have magic stuff in my car; I’m always prepared to do something.”
While he’s not teaching magic classes to children or entertaining the four children of his own, Fridinger, who currently serves as his squadron’s additional duty first sergeant, said his magic also allows him to reach Airmen from a more amusing approach.
“Most of them love it,” he said of his coworkers. “I would love to see all the SNCOs do an open show for the Airmen in the dorms. From my perspective, magic builds that personable authority where they trust you and they like you so they want to come to you with their problems. The Airmen will see their leaders as people.”
According to Fridinger, not all of his tricks are for sheer amusement. He also performs magic with specific messages geared toward enhancing the pillars of Comprehensive Airman Fitness, and the Air Force core values.
“Depending on how far you want to go, I have stuff that has built-in messages. I gave one to an Air Force recruiter that he could do when he’s meeting people,” he explained. “I’m not a gospel magician but I try to do stuff that has a message at beginning and a message at the end so it’s not just entertainment.”
During one of his squadron CAF days, Fridinger visited the Hampton, Virginia, Veterans Affairs Hospital and entertained veterans suffering from a variety of ailments. The magician said he believes it’s important to give back to the community that has given so much to him.
“If you have something you really love and enjoy, find a way to give it back to the community,” Fridinger said. “It’s not just good for them; it’s good for you too.”
| Date Taken: | 11.17.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.17.2015 16:33 |
| Story ID: | 182183 |
| Location: | LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Messages in magic: First sergeant reaches Airmen, veterans through tricks, by SSgt Aubrey White, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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