Cannon airman plays role in Tops in Blue

Before the most recent Superbowl, a group of background singers performed “America, the Beautiful” with Lea Michele, from the TV show “Glee.” The singers were Tops in Blue, the Air Force’s premiere entertainment group.

It was the first time Tops in Blue performed at the Superbowl since 1985 and one of the singers was Cannon Airman 1st Class Jette Warnick, who will return shortly to Cannon and the 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs office.

Warnick, who is due back to Cannon in April, joined the Air Force in 2009 from her hometown of Wanship, Utah.

“After two and a half years of college, I hit a lull where I wasn’t sure that working and putting myself through college full time was what I wanted to be doing, especially since none of the colleges in my state had the degree I was working toward,” said Warnick.

After visiting her local recruiter’s office she decided to try another route, though she admitted that she knew nearly nothing about the military before enlisting.

“Since I’ve been in, it’s a career and community I’ve come to enjoy,” she said.

Upon her selection to Tops in Blue, she was given the job of being a female vocalist, though she and the other airmen of Tops in Blue do much more, including stage set-up.

“We have many other jobs to perform,” said Warnick.

Some of those other jobs include setting up the stage equipment and tearing the stage down. She also is a member of the audio crew, which sets up speakers and cables to make sure the sound works for the performance.

Being a public affairs airman also has Warnick writing articles, blogs and conducting interviews with the media.

Warnick has always had a love of performing, which she finds amazing, since she gets to do something she loves — to make other people happy. Tops in Blue does so by performing in such places as Europe, the Americas, Iraq, and Afghanistan among others.

Although she enjoys Tops in Blue, she’s looking forward to conducting her job when she arrives back at Cannon.

“Working 18- to 20- hour days with no weekends and only two to three days off each month, I’m excited to stay in one place and have normal work hours,” she said. “I appreciate all the time that I didn’t realize I had before.”

She plans on working toward her degree when she gets back to Cannon and credits Tops in Blue for opening her eyes to many other career paths in the Air Force.

Tops in Blue will be performing March 16 at 7 p.m. at the ENMU Greyhound Arena in Portales.