Shack's second chance

Photo By Sgt. J.P. Lawrence | Spc. Cleon Shack performs in round two of Basra Idol, a music contest held in Basra, May 23. Shack was one of three finalists to make it to the final round, held May 30 at 6:00 p.m. at the stage next to Dining Facility 1.  

BASRA, IRAQ

06.04.2009

Story by Pfc. J.P. Lawrence 

Multi-National Division-South

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq — Spc. Cleon Shack stood in the shadows near the stage, waiting on his second chance. A week before, Shack and eight others had entered Basra Idol, a music competition for service members at Contingency Operating Base Basra. Shack had sung "Midnight Lover," a song he and his brother wrote, a song that featured such lyrics as "I want to do freaky things to you; freaky, freaky things."

He didn't make the cut.

But now that one of the contestants was going on leave, there was a chance, a good chance he could sneak in this round as a replacement.

"Practice," the judges had told him. "You may be able to sing, you might not. Just come. If they let you sing, if they let you perform, be ready. Just come prepared."

And so he waited, ready to perform. He just wanted a second chance.

Then again, Cleon Shack knows a thing or two about second chances.

"I had a full scholarship to Albany State University," said Shack, a native of Columbus, Ga. He was a linebacker. But when his brothers ran into trouble and got into an altercation, "I made the decision to go home, to back them up," Shack said.

The situation escalated and guns came into play. "I ended up getting caught with a firearm," Shack said. Shack's scholarship was gone, long gone, but the courts decided to give him a choice: Go to jail, or join the Army. "I got two of my charges reduced to misdemeanors. The terms of getting my charges reduced was to join the military."

The Army became his second chance. "Without the Army, I probably would have had time in jail and I would have had a felony on my record," said Shack, a mechanic with the 178th Military Police Company.

The show was about to begin when the master of ceremonies, Sgt. 1st Class James Cookman, approached Shack. "Are you comfortable with performing tonight?" he said.

Comfortable? Shack was very comfortable performing that night. Whereas the last time on stage Shack was "in a rush, trying to get it over with," the second performance saw a calmer, cooler Shack.

"I kinda calmed down," he said, "because I knew the song, I knew R. Kelly."

As he ran through R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly," the crowd, which seemed to know all the words, began singing along with him as his voice flew and soared. The judges took notice of the crowd's reaction, and when the final scores had been tallied, Shack himself with a ticket to the finals.

"I was kind of shocked," said Shack, who had enrolled in Basra to join his friend, Spc. Russell Dudley, in the competition. "I thought for sure Dudley would have made it."

Dudley and all the other eliminated contestants were invited by the judges to sing at the final round next week, where one of them will get a second chance to win it all.

Shack, who if not for a fellow contestant going on leave would not be in the finals, and if not for the Army would be in jail, gave the following advice: "I can't honestly say everyone deserves a second chance, but, in certain situations, they are given. If you're ever given a second chance, just take advantage of it."

Now that's wise advice. Then again, Cleon Shack knows a thing or two about second chances.

• Date Taken: 06.04.2009
• Date Posted: 06.04.2009 06:59
• Story ID: 34527
• Location: BASRA, IQ