Sounds of freedom: 307 RHS member sing's Nation's theme at sporting event

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Sherri Savant
  • 917th Wing Public Affairs
Barksdale AFB, La. --  The stadium was filled with people. Silence filled the room. Hats were removed, heads were bowed, and hands were placed carefully over hearts. In this somber moment, one voice rang out, the voice of 2001 alumnus Cindy Karch.

It was the scene at the Tyler Junior College basketball game on Veteran's Day, Saturday, Nov. 11, when Cindy, a staff sergeant and member of 307th RED HORSE, sang the National Anthem to begin the day's festivities.

This was not Cindy's first big "gig," however. Her first singing experiences were in the school choir and in drama club, where she was always cast as a singer, since she "couldn't act to save her life." Those events lent her first and second-place finishes.

The married, mother of two has always loved to sing. Cindy said she gets her talent from her mother, who is a very talented singer and piano player.

One of her most memorable singing experiences was back in high school.

"A new Bishop was named for the Tyler Diocese. I was a member of the choir that performed at Bishop Carmody's coronation," Cindy said. "That was a very important event for me. I still cherish it."

"I really love to sing, but have always been so shy and self-conscious, that I have never really pursued it any farther," Cindy said. That all changed for her, though, when she offered her talents during a squadron function after the sound system quit working.

"I've been volunteered (to sing the National Anthem) ever since," she said.

She sang the nation's theme in front of nearly 1,000 of her peers recently at the 917th Wing change of command ceremony, an experience she found "most interesting."

"I got to meet a lot of important people and sing in front of a huge crowd of my peers," she said.

Despite her timidity, Cindy, a bookkeeper at a Texas bank, said she would love to sing more and would probably take any opportunity to do so.

"My dream is to sing the Star Spangled Banner at a major event, like a Rangers game or NASCAR race...once I get past my stage fright, that is!"