100th LRS DJ balances his career and passion

Photo By Staff Sgt. Alexandria Lee | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Elijah Rasheed, 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron aircraft parts store supervisor, also known as ‘DJ Messiah’, mixes music for his disc jockey set at a local club in Cambridge, England, Sept. 2, 2018. DJ Messiah is known as Staff Sgt. Rasheed to his troops and tries his best to relate to his troops both on a personal and professional level. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alexandria Lee)  

BURY ST. EDMUNDS, SFK, UNITED KINGDOM

09.07.2018

Story by Airman 1st Class Alexandria Lee 

100th Air Refueling Wing   

For some people, music is a way to express themselves, a way to relax and a way to motivate themselves. For others, listening isn't enough; they have to create it, like Staff Sgt. Elijah Rasheed, 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron aircraft parts store supervisor, otherwise known as ‘DJ Messiah’.
“The Air Force has taught me so much about myself,” Rasheed said. “Had I never joined I would have never known how much I enjoyed being a disc jockey. Over the last three years, I have learned so much about myself with balancing my career and learning about my passion for music. I really had to invest in myself.”
Rasheed learned from a fellow co-worker at Misawa Air Base, Japan, how to become a disc jockey. Always having an ear for music, Rasheed also knows how to play several instruments which gave him an upper hand when it came to music composition.
“I love seeing other people enjoy what I do,” Rasheed said. “That was the reason I became interested in DJ’ing, I love seeing people having a good time. At my last base, I would go to group events on and off base and the DJ’s weren’t very good. I thought I would give it a try, I loved it and more importantly, the people around me loved it.”
DJ Messiah is known as Staff Sgt. Rasheed to his troops and he tries his best to relate to them both on a personal and professional level. His troops call him a mentor in the work environment and the personal one as well.
“He genuinely cares and I see it in the way he deals with all of us Airmen, by consistently giving career and life advice,” said Airman 1st Class Hayden Theel, 100th LRS APS journeyman. “He’s a role model for me. He holds you to not only the Air Force standard but also pushes you to be better. He doesn’t just care about you as an Airman but as a person as well.”
Rasheed uses the experiences he has had throughout his career to be a better leader.
“I’ve had so many awesome mentors through all of the bases I’ve been to,” Rasheed said. “I try to be that for my Airmen. I try to lead by example and try to help prevent any potential mistakes that I see.”
With all of the energy and time ‘DJ Messiah’ puts into his part-time job as a disc jockey, he never lets it interfere with him being a full-time non-commissioned officer.
“I’ve seen first-hand Staff Sgt. Rasheed epitomize the Air Force core values,” said Master Sgt. Mike Alvarado, 100th LRS APS section chief. “No matter what is going on I can always depend on him to come through for not only me but for his coworkers and troops. He can be in the middle of a set and if l call, I know he will come to put in a 12-hour shift if I need him too. If an Airman is having trouble I’ve seen him pull them aside and talk to them using his own experiences, good and bad, to guide them.”
Staff Sgt. Rasheed balances his commitment to service and dream to align with his responsibilities as a non-commissioned officer. He tries his best to guide and encourage the junior Airmen to be better.
“The Logistics Readiness Squadron is one of the biggest squadrons and still it all feels like family to me, from my squadron commander to my immediate leadership,” Theel said. “Staff Sgt. Rasheed has been a big part of that. He always encourages me to use my off time to better myself whether it’s in education or just finding my passion."

• Date Taken: 09.07.2018
• Date Posted: 09.07.2018 09:40
• Story ID: 291730
• Location: BURY ST. EDMUNDS, SFK, GB