Photo By Spc. Eric Liesse | Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Lobban, the resident emcee for the 525th Military Police...... read more read more
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By Eric Liesse
Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – With a pitch-perfect, ring announcer-like voice, Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Lobban prepares the crowd for the evening, insisting all cell phones and pagers be turned off. Momentarily, he commands the ceremony to begin and welcomes the audience to the evening's preceding.
Though Lobban said he considers this just an additional tasking, he has become the resident emcee for all 525th Military Police Battalion ceremonies, be it an awards presentation, a change of command, or a retirement celebration.
As the non-commissioned officer in charge of the battalion's technologies directorate, Lobban is the "main hub for the 525th and [Joint Task Force Guantanamo's] Camp 5, Camp Echo and Camp Iguana; for any of their computer and network capabilities." However, being the battalion's emcee doesn't divert much time from his primary job, Lobban said.
During his emcee duties, Lobban is the man in control of a very different network.
"As an emcee, you are what keeps the ceremony together," Lobban said. "You have your certain parts like when music has to play, when somebody has to speak, when certain actions need to take place. Everything comes up on the queue of when the narrator says so."
For instance, when Lobban announces the chaplain's invocation and playing of the national anthem, he motions to the chaplain as well as cueing a trooper to handle the sound system.
"Of course, I'm double and triple checking and giving the head-nod of when to execute everything." Lobban said.
Lobban has done a few ceremonies thus far, including two awards ceremonies, the change of responsibility for Sgt. Maj. Donald Troxler, Joint Detention Group sergeant major, and the Army Birthday celebration here.
"The big one of the big ones, and I feel kind of honored to do it, is Command Sgt. Major [Theodore] Trahan's retirement ceremony," Lobban said of the Thursday, July 3, ceremony. The ceremony was held to both honor and retire Trahan from his time as the senior enlisted leader of the 525th.
"This was the first script I was able to have full writing privileges on," Lobban continued. After taking from past retirement examples, Lobban tweaked and modified the script to make it appropriate for Trahan.
Lobban begins his preparation process by first looking at the stock narrative that is written for a particular ceremony. Reviewing the "proper way" to narrate the ceremony, he practices with the script, listening for ways to improve it.
"When you start taking a look at it, it doesn't flow," Lobban explained. "Mainly I'll just go over it and make it run a little smoother as well as keep the professional appearance of the ceremonies that we do."
Once the script is fleshed out to his liking, Lobban will spend about a half hour before the ceremony begins repeatedly going over the narration, making any last minute changes needed for sound. With a full run through before hand, the ceremony begins with Lobban at the helm.
Before coming to Guantanamo, Lobban had public speaking experience by way of 1450AM ESPN Radio WFAY out of Fayetteville, N.C., for about three weeks in spring, 2006. However, Lobban said he never had the job – he was a guest announcer due to calling in so often.
The day he went to secure his contract, the station closed for business due to low ratings.
However, Lobban said they never informed him, letting him walk up to locked doors.
Lobban said the time on the radio also gave him the confidence to lead ceremonies without a problem.
"If you're talking in front of a microphone and almost a 100,000 people can hear you, what's wrong with talking in front of a microphone in front a small group of people?" said Lobban flatly.
Even though Lobban conducts ceremonies based on his whim, he refuses to get a big head over it.
"I can take my job very seriously, but I never take myself seriously," Lobban said. "If you take yourself seriously, you're going to let the best things in life pass you by. But my job I take more serious that anything else, except for my marriage and my kids."
| Date Taken: | 07.03.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 07.08.2008 10:08 |
| Story ID: | 21292 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 119 |
| Downloads: | 87 |
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