Travis Airman to tour with Tops in Blue

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Madelyn Ottem
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. --  In January 2010, one Airman prepared himself to perform a song to be put under scrutiny by a panel of judges. A successful performance would reward this Airman with a tour of the world, the ability to give back to deployed service members and the opportunity to practice his passion of singing for one year.

Unfortunately, that Airman was not able to make the cut to perform with the Air Force entertainment group, Tops in Blue.

One year later, Staff Sgt. Gilbert Tarnate, 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron communication navigation technician, returned to Lackland Air Force Base for another attempt at Tops in Blue, this time not only armed with his talented singing voice, but also experience and an open mind to criticism.

Tarnate's passion for singing began at the age of 4. As soon as he could read he would sing as his father played guitar. From then on, Tarnate was always singing during his daily activities and his down time.

Twenty-five years later, Tarnate was selected for the second time to audition for Tops in Blue based on a video submission.

Prior to performing their song selection, the Airmen are separated into groups. They then have the opportunity to train and take constructive criticism for 10 days. Even though Tarnate had been through the process once before, the pressure was still on.

"This year I knew I had to give it my all," Tarnate said. "A lot more was expected of me since I had been there before, and I knew I had to bring more."

Tarnate was the sixth member of the sixth group; the very last act to perform. This allowed him to observe who he was up against and what they had to bring to the table.

"The competition was tough," he said. "And you always get nervous when you put yourself in a vulnerable position."

The moment before he stepped on stage for his performance, Tarnate recalled a common saying among the Tops in Blue auditioners.

"Everybody has a seat on the bus, are you going to keep your seat?"

The saying means that every prospective Tops in Blue member has a space for the team, but if their skills are not up to par, then they will not be able to keep their seat.

During the performance all the nervousness was swept aside, the Guam native said. As
long as the judges find the performance entertaining then everything will go smoothly.

When the father of three had wrapped up his performance, a sense of relief overcame him. Despite his self-critical nature, he enjoyed his performance and thought he had done well, he said.

It wasn't until two weeks after the performance when Tarnate had returned to Travis that he was told that Tops in Blue had selected him.

"I was ecstatic," Tarnate said. "I'm ready to bring all my determination to the team. I think my voice has a lot to offer, it's versatile and can accommodate different genres."

For Tarnate, being a part of Tops in Blue contributes more than an entertaining show to the Air Force.

"The Tops in Blue brings a little part of America to deployed troops," he said. "These service members are in areas that aren't familiar to them and they're sacrificing a lot to be there. I think that's the biggest mission of Tops in Blue."

Tarnate is scheduled to return to Lackland March 18 to learn the show for the upcoming year in an intense 60-day training period.

"It will include extensive training, practice and physical fitness," Tarnate said. "The expectations are high, but it's completely worth it."

After years of practice, Tarnate's love for singing and his determination has solidified his spot among 35 other Airmen from the Air Force-wide competition. He will have the unique experience of a one-year tour with the Tops in Blue that only a select few Airmen have bragging rights to.

"I want to thank my commander for allowing me to go on this tour, my wife, kids and the communication navigation section for all the support they have given me," Tarnate said.