by Spc. Alexandra Hemmerly-Brown
210th MPAD
LSA ANACONDA, Iraq -- "When will my reflection show who I am inside?"
"Reflection," originally sung by Christina Aguilera in the movie "Mulan," was the winning ballad in Anaconda's final round of Military Idol, Oct. 20.
Entertaining a crowd of a few hundred at Sustainer Theater, the finals featured four contestants: Spc. Aaron P. Broxterman, Spc. Wendi M. Farris, Sgt. Jennifer M. Rockmore, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Jenette E. Thompson.
Contestants were judged according to their singing ability, showmanship, overall improvement, and show of vocal range throughout the three rounds of the competition.
In this round, audience members were given ballots to vote for their favorite singer, and in the end, the contestants' fate was left in the audience's hands.
Three judges also helped the decision-making process along; Command Sgt. Major Jorge Young with the 657th Area Support Group, Master Sgt. Roger Flicek with 49th Transportation Battalion, and Sgt. LaToya Jackson, with the 4th Command Materiel Management Center.
First up on the stage was Broxterman, an infantryman from Missoula, Mont., with C Company, 2nd Battalion, 123rd Armor Regiment, 1st Squadron, 167th Cavalry Regiment.
Broxterman got the audience clapping to Bon Jovi's rock hit "You Give Love a Bad Name," sporting sunglasses and a little bit of air guitar.
Next up was Farris from Cypress, Texas, with D Company, 1st Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment (Attack). She wooed listeners with her smooth, velvety rendition of the Country band Rascal Flatt's "Bless the Broken Road."
Farris walked off the stage and into the crowd during her performance, grasping the hand of one lucky audience member.
"You had so much emotion in that song," Jackson said, who has been called the Simon Cowell of this competition.
Farris said she chose the song because it was sentimental for her, and that was singing for her two children.
"Your singing has transformed from something mellow, to something rowdy, to something beautiful," Young said comparing Farris's past performances.
Thompson took to the stage next with another Country tune, "Love Has No Pride."
She had a large section of Air Force fans who cheered and held up a sign for her as she walked onto the stage.
The slow, soft song won Thompson praise from the judges.
"You nailed that song—great job," Flicek said.
Last up was Rockmore, who belted out "Reflection" and gave chills and goosebumps to audience members as she hit the high notes.
"Every time I hear you sing, I want to cry," Jackson said. "You're wonderful."
Rockmore received a standing ovation for her performance, but the outcome of the competition wasn't determined until the audience member's ballots were counted.
"I've been singing since I was a little girl in church," Rockmore said. "Sometimes in the military you lose sight of who you are, but you've got to push through."
After the contestants had all taken a turn at the mic, the scores were tallied and Rockmore came out on top followed by Thompson in second place, Farris in third, and Broxterman in fourth.
Prizes for the event, which was sponsored in part by Fox's American Idol, came in the form of Military Idol hats and T-shirts for lucky audience members, an iPod shuffle for the third and fourth place winners, a DVD player for second place, and a Play Station Portable with a large trophy for the first place winner.
"I just pick songs that I feel myself ...and hope that whoever is listening can feel what I do," Rockmore said.
She was glad to have the chance to participate in the competition here in Iraq, said the Idol winner who loves all genres of music.
"I think it was really nice to have something here," Rockmore said. "It kind of brings you back to the real world for just that moment in time, and makes you feel good that you can still do what you love to do here."
| Date Taken: | 10.20.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 11.14.2006 09:02 |
| Story ID: | 8270 |
| Location: | BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 119 |
| Downloads: | 38 |
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