Fort Bliss Monitor

Catrina Francis

Sgt. 1st Class Dendre Wright accepts his $500 unit fund check after being named Fort Bliss
Military Idol from Melinda Sorrell, MWR chief of community relations.

Military Idol crowned

Catrina Francis
Monitor Staff

The 2006 Military Idol was crowned Friday at the Centennial Club. After working and waiting nervously for the last seven weeks, Sgt. 1st Class Dendre Wright, B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery was named the winner.

This was the first year Fort Bliss participated in the contest and the largest obstacle was getting the word out for contestants to compete and see who would be named the winner.

“We had trouble getting contestants to come out,” said Michelle Rivera, Morale, Welfare and Recreation marketing management trainee. “Some of the larger installations had about 100 to 200 people try out.”
Although Bliss did not see hundreds show up and audition, the word got out and 11 Soldiers came out to showcase their singing talent. During the initial tryouts, attendance was low. As the weeks progressed, and the build up of the finale approached, the ballroom at the Centennial Club was standing room only.

As the Soldiers started performing the audience was not disappointed. They saw another side to these Soldier-singers besides the normal day-to-day training. Rivera said it was a good feeling to see support for the enlisted and officers competing. It also afforded family members of deployed Soldiers a moment of escape.

“We are at war, and a lot of people kind of forget that,” said Rivera. “The wives and husbands with their family members deployed are going through a lot of stress … they come to a central location and support their own, and their children see positive role models.”

Soldiers and judges also saw the progress made by weekly performers. Warrant Officer Russell Houser, 62nd Army Band commander and contest judge, said he has seen how the Soldiers have blossomed and grown.
“It has been totally dramatic,” said Houser. “It has gone from everybody being so self-conscience and timid to what you see tonight.”

He also said the Soldiers performances vocally had improved and it was a challenge for them to sing out of their element. The first two songs performed by the final four were randomly chosen and it was the luck of the draw. For some it was an easy task to crossover, and for others it was difficult.

Crossing over was a difficult task for Sgt. Don Perry, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 108th Brigade, to overcome. During his first song “Every Breath You Take” by the Police gave Perry a big challenge. He forgot some words and the judges said this caused him to lose confidence. 1st Sgt. Frank Suri, 62nd Army Band, said he could not wait until Perry sang a country and western song, because it was apparent that was his forte.

“As musicians we all have our strengths and weaknesses and getting out of your element is hard to do, kudos to them for doing that,” said Houser.

Sgt. Terry Sorrells, 1st Air Missile Defense Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery, also endured a hurdle when he had to sing “I Want to Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston. He was able to sing a rendition even though the ballad was written for a woman to perform.

2nd Lt. Lameka Grayson, 511th Company, wowed the crowd during her performances. Whether it was singing the song of her choice or singing a song out of her element she impressed the judges. When she sang “Amarillo by Morning” by George Strait, Suri said she made it her song.

Wright, the Military Idol winner, said preparing for the contest and the finale involved focus and determination.
“There is a lot of work, and my wife had to put a little fire under me to get me to do what I had to do,” said Wright.

Each week Wright said he took the judges advice to heart and made improvements.
“The judges commented I never move up on stage,” said Wright. “This week I showed a little bit more movement, animation and a little bit more crowd involvement.”

The luck of the draw had Wright singing “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen and “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins. It would seem singing these songs would be an easy task because men had sung them and Wright did not have to go out of his vocal range. Wright said performing them was not an easy task. Initially he was a little intimidated, but he knew he had to give it his all.

“You have to be able to put it all on the line,” said Wright. “You don’t always get to choose what you do, but whatever it is, do it right.”

Wright’s next stop is Fort Belvoir, Va., where he competes against other winning Soldiers. He hopes to win it all and be Army’s Military Idol.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	Oct. 5 , 2006

	Catrina Francis Sgt. 1st Class Dendre Wright accepts his $500 unit fund check after being named Fort Bliss Military Idol from Melinda Sorrell, MWR chief of community relations. Military Idol crowned Catrina Francis Monitor Staff The 2006 Military Idol was crowned Friday at the Centennial Club. After working and waiting nervously for the last seven weeks, Sgt. 1st Class Dendre Wright, B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery was named the winner. This was the first year Fort Bliss participated in the contest and the largest obstacle was getting the word out for contestants to compete and see who would be named the winner. “We had trouble getting contestants to come out,” said Michelle Rivera, Morale, Welfare and Recreation marketing management trainee. “Some of the larger installations had about 100 to 200 people try out.” Although Bliss did not see hundreds show up and audition, the word got out and 11 Soldiers came out to showcase their singing talent. During the initial tryouts, attendance was low. As the weeks progressed, and the build up of the finale approached, the ballroom at the Centennial Club was standing room only. As the Soldiers started performing the audience was not disappointed. They saw another side to these Soldier-singers besides the normal day-to-day training. Rivera said it was a good feeling to see support for the enlisted and officers competing. It also afforded family members of deployed Soldiers a moment of escape. “We are at war, and a lot of people kind of forget that,” said Rivera. “The wives and husbands with their family members deployed are going through a lot of stress … they come to a central location and support their own, and their children see positive role models.” Soldiers and judges also saw the progress made by weekly performers. Warrant Officer Russell Houser, 62nd Army Band commander and contest judge, said he has seen how the Soldiers have blossomed and grown. “It has been totally dramatic,” said Houser. “It has gone from everybody being so self-conscience and timid to what you see tonight.” He also said the Soldiers performances vocally had improved and it was a challenge for them to sing out of their element. The first two songs performed by the final four were randomly chosen and it was the luck of the draw. For some it was an easy task to crossover, and for others it was difficult. Crossing over was a difficult task for Sgt. Don Perry, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 108th Brigade, to overcome. During his first song “Every Breath You Take” by the Police gave Perry a big challenge. He forgot some words and the judges said this caused him to lose confidence. 1st Sgt. Frank Suri, 62nd Army Band, said he could not wait until Perry sang a country and western song, because it was apparent that was his forte. “As musicians we all have our strengths and weaknesses and getting out of your element is hard to do, kudos to them for doing that,” said Houser. Sgt. Terry Sorrells, 1st Air Missile Defense Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery, also endured a hurdle when he had to sing “I Want to Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston. He was able to sing a rendition even though the ballad was written for a woman to perform. 2nd Lt. Lameka Grayson, 511th Company, wowed the crowd during her performances. Whether it was singing the song of her choice or singing a song out of her element she impressed the judges. When she sang “Amarillo by Morning” by George Strait, Suri said she made it her song. Wright, the Military Idol winner, said preparing for the contest and the finale involved focus and determination. “There is a lot of work, and my wife had to put a little fire under me to get me to do what I had to do,” said Wright. Each week Wright said he took the judges advice to heart and made improvements. “The judges commented I never move up on stage,” said Wright. “This week I showed a little bit more movement, animation and a little bit more crowd involvement.” The luck of the draw had Wright singing “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen and “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins. It would seem singing these songs would be an easy task because men had sung them and Wright did not have to go out of his vocal range. Wright said performing them was not an easy task. Initially he was a little intimidated, but he knew he had to give it his all. “You have to be able to put it all on the line,” said Wright. “You don’t always get to choose what you do, but whatever it is, do it right.” Wright’s next stop is Fort Belvoir, Va., where he competes against other winning Soldiers. He hopes to win it all and be Army’s Military Idol.