Photo By Senior Airman Dillon Audit | Airman 1st Class Fermin Garcia, 5th Munitions Squadron armament system crew member,...... read more read more
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Chapter 1: Early years of magic
His fingers flipped through a deck of cards, all eyes in the room fixated on him, watching his hands carefully and closely. Movements with machine-like precision, adaptability with each audience and mastery of situational awareness are just a few of his tools.
Growing up with four other siblings, he wanted to do something no one in his family had done before, become a magician.
“Magic has always been a big part of my life,” said Airman 1st Class Fermin Garcia, 5th Munitions Squadron armament maintenance team member, “I saw my first magician in kindergarten and was amazed at what he could do. I wanted to be like him.”
Garcia was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. During 1st and 2nd grade years his elementary school hosted an annual scholastic book fair. Garcia’s parents would buy him magic kits at the book fair to practice with.
“In 3rd grade, I upgraded from scholastic magic,” said Garcia. “I performed my first magic show for my 3rd grade class and the teacher loved it. I was nervous but excited because I was doing something that I loved.”
The love for magic that started years ago blossomed as more than just a hobby.
“After that, read more about magic and practiced card tricks,” said Garcia. “But I never worked up the courage to actually show somebody.”
Garcia’s dedication to continue performing magic increased as the years went by.
Chapter 2: Executing the magic
During his freshman year of high school, Garcia regularly visited his usual magic shop, where he developed a friendship with the shop owner.
“It was filled with magic and mystery,” said Garcia. “Every time I went in there it was an indescribable feeling for me.”
The owner was a professional magician whose stage name was Valdino and he took Garcia in as his apprentice, giving him tips and tricks on magic.
“Valdino referred to magic as having an old coin,” said Garcia. “Before you show anyone the coin, you want to make sure it’s polished. It’s the same with magic, because you polish the trick until it’s perfectly executed.”
Garcia said that having him as a teacher and mentor was career changing for him.
“He taught me magic methods such as sleight of hand and magic secrets,” said Garcia. “He also taught me some of his philosophy which helped me grow as a magician and a person.”
Chapter 3: Air Force
After high school, Garcia continued to purse magic instead of attending college. His step-brother serving in the Navy and his sister in the Army, convinced him to join the Air Force, as a back-up plan.
“I didn’t initially want to join the Air Force right away because I was fresh out of high school,” said Garcia. “Eventually, I wanted to enlist but my parents and siblings convinced me to join right away.”
Garcia joined the Air Force in June of 2016.
“My favorite thing about the Air Force is seeing the mission get done,” said Garcia. “It’s really cool to see when all our hard work pays off to complete the mission.”
During his time in the Air Force, Garcia started to realize his skills from being a magician transferred into his everyday life.
“I use the skills I developed in magic to be vigilant and I find myself looking for hidden meanings in situations,” said Garcia. “I’m also more open and confident due to the amount of social interaction I’ve had performing in shows.”
Garcia spends his time off performing at shows in downtown Minot, kid’s birthday parties and some events on base. He also teaches kids at a non-profit magic camp.
His favorite part about being a magician is giving back to the community.
“When I do magic it makes people happy and I use that now because you never know what somebody is going through,” said Garcia. “Showing them a simple magic trick can turn their entire day around.”
| Date Taken: | 12.12.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.12.2017 15:25 |
| Story ID: | 258505 |
| Location: | MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, ND, US |
| Web Views: | 101 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 5th MUNS: The influence of magic, by SrA Dillon Audit, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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