By Sgt. Daniel Blottenberger
18th Military Police Brigade Public Affairs Office
FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH, Iraq – As night falls on Forward Operating Base Rustamiyah silence and darkness covers the FOB. This assists the FOB to remain tactically quiet and unseen throughout the night.
However, if you listen closely through the constant running of generator motors and air conditioning units you can hear a melodic sound off in the distance.
No, it is not the daily religious prayers that are broadcasted on loud speakers throughout Baghdad, which can be heard very distinctly at FOB Rustamiyah, but is the sound of a five Soldier band that sings religious songs three days a week at the FOB to provide Soldiers with a religious release from their daily stresses a combat environment may bring.
The band consists of five Soldiers, four are military police Soldiers with Multi-National Division – Baghdad's 95th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade. The participant is a company commander with Company B., 94th Base Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light), MND-B.
The five-person band practices two nights a week and plays during the religious services at the FOB's chapel weekly.
The band says the reason they sing is for their fellow Soldiers of the FOB.
"We do it to support the Soldiers," said Capt. Barrett Banks, a New Baltimore, Mich., native, who is a vocalist with the band, and serves as the personnel officer for the 95th MP Bn.
The Soldiers of the band say singing in the band is a great way to provide for the spiritual needs of the Soldiers at the FOB.
"We are providing a religious service to the Soldiers," said Capt. Mark Folkerts, the Chicago native, who plays the drums and guitar for the band, and serves as the commander for Company B., 94th BSB. "It is a proven fact that more Soldiers come out of combat more religiously aware; spiritual well being is more important than both physical and mental well-being here."
The band prides itself in trying to sing songs that reach out and meet the Soldiers' spiritual needs every week and that they can relate to for a younger crowd.
"We pick songs that are uplifting to the Soldiers," said Sgt. Hannah Sparks, a vocalist for the band and native of Golden, Colo., who serves as a military police Soldier with the 59th Military Police Company. "We like to play songs that speak to the Soldiers as well."
The Soldiers definitely add to the worship services, said Capt. Christopher Dickey, a native of Houston, Texas, who serves as the 95th MP Bn., chaplain. The Sunday services used to have music off of CDs but now the band adds to the service by bringing live music to the over thirty Soldiers, who attend the service weekly.
"It is an incredible investment that the band brings every week to the Soldiers," said Dickey, referring to the time the band spends after mission and work three times a week to provide for the spiritual needs of the Soldiers of the FOB.
"These Soldiers come off mission, work hard to learn songs and prepare for the weekly worship services," said Dickey. "The band adds so much to the service just having live music enhances are ability to praise God."
One band member says it is a great way to unwind after a mission.
"It is some great downtime coming off mission and then coming here to practice our songs," said Sparks, who spends her days training Iraqi police at a near by IP station. "The band is a sense of peace in such a hectic time."
Not only do the Soldiers find that being in the band is a sense of peace during their deployment they also found that the band has grown to be a support group for them to turn to when the need arises.
"Everyone in the group is well adjusted to the environment," said Banks referring to the FOB located in Baghdad. "We have become a great support group to one another outside of work. We can lean on each other and we are here for each other 24/7."
Besides being a support group and getting a chance to unwind from the daily stresses of the combat theater in Iraq can bring, some of the band members just do it because they love praising God.
"Praising the Lord is the reason I do it," said Folkerts. "The Lord has given me this talent and I use it to praise him."
All of the band members agreed that throughout their time spent with each other they have gotten better at their musical skills.
"I've gotten pretty good playing the guitar here," said Pfc. Christopher Nunley, a Tulsa, Okla., native and band guitarist and drummer. "I've gotten a lot better instrumentally.
"Now after playing the guitar here, I'm not afraid to play in front of people," said Folkerts, referring to his ability from playing the guitar when he first got to Iraq and now.
The Soldiers spend all week listening and downloading new songs to learn prior to performing the weekly services.
"People complain if we keep playing the same old stuff," said Banks. Therefore the band is constantly learning new songs during rehearsals.
"I download songs I don't know during the week," said Sparks. "Then I listen to the songs constantly and sing them all throughout the day to learn them."
Though the band had a few hiccups throughout the practice, once they began to play as a team and everyone got their individual parts down the music sounded very inviting to all; 'on the not so silent Baghdad FOB.'