Now you see me, now you don’t: MacDill’s magic man

TAMPA , FL, UNITED STATES

06.30.2017

Story by Airman 1st Class Rito Smith 

6th Air Refueling Wing

With so many different types of individuals serving in the U.S Armed Forces, it’s no wonder that many of them have special talents hidden away.
For Airman 1st Class Tristian Bieller, a Base Honor Guardsman, and personnel specialist assigned to the 6th Force Support Squadron, magic tricks and illusions help him build relationships with service members while performing his duties as a personnel specialist and Base Honor Guardsmen.
It all began three years ago after Bieller watched a friend of his perform a simple card trick.
“My buddy showed me a card trick, and all I could feel was shock and awe about what had happened,” said Bieller. “At that moment, I wanted to learn how to make other people feel that same thing.”
Since first seeing his friend perform, Bieller has extended his knowledge base by constantly practicing while also performing for service members throughout his career.
“I performed for a major general in the Army while we were waiting to make him a new Common Access Card,” said Bieller. “For him, I took five blank blue cards and transformed them into a royal flush of five red cards.
“Another time I took two Airmen and had one pick a card and the other hold an orange, I then shuffled the deck in front of everyone and he placed the card back in the deck, at that point I took the orange, cut it open and inside was the chosen card.”
Performing magic tricks has allowed Bieller to become more comfortable in the presence of higher ranking service members while providing a way to interact with all service members he works with.
“I personally believe it has helped my confidence by performing in front of people,” said Bieller. “It has improved my social and speech skills, along with my ability to relate to individuals to make them feel more comfortable in a strange environment.”
Bieller continues to dazzle people with his ability to perform complex magic tricks flawlessly with little to no preparation.
“Bieller is a great Airman; he always wows his peers with his magic tricks,” said SrA John Jordan, a Base Honor Guardsman, and a periodic inspection crew chief assigned to the 6th Maintenance Squadron, and Base Honor Guardsmen. “On top of that, in the workplace he is always striving to improve not only himself but also the rest of us.”

• Date Taken: 06.30.2017
• Date Posted: 08.16.2017 12:00
• Story ID: 239798
• Location: TAMPA , FL, US
• Hometown: LUBBOCK, TX, US
• Hometown: TAMPA, FL, US