13 Airmen take Worldwide Talent Search honors

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Representing bases from around the globe, 77 Airmen gathered for the Air Force Worldwide Talent Search Jan. 11-19 at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, to compete for the honor of being named the Air Force's "top talent."

The winners were selected after 10 days of auditions, rehearsals and interviews, which culminated in three nights of competition. In the end, 13 emerged as the best, taking home "Roger" awards for first place and "Wilco" awards for second place.

The winners are:

Female Vocalist: Staff Sgt. Aisha Smith (first place) from MacDill AFB, Fla., and Staff Sgt. Naomi Keen (second place) from Lackland AFB, Texas

Male Vocalist: Staff Sgt. Rick Rosales (first place) from Keesler AFB, Miss., and Staff Sgt. Wendell Boone (second place) from Andrews AFB, Md.

Specialty: Staff Sgt. James Warren (first place) from Eielson AFB, Alaska, and Airman 1st Class Jamie Hull (second place) from Fairchild AFB, Wash.

Instrumental: Airman 1st Class Shane Jones (first place) from Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and 2nd Lt. Mara Title (second place) from Los Angeles AFB, Calif.

Dance: Airman 1st Class Malik Thorne (first place) from Dover AFB, Del., and Airman 1st Class Emanuel Simmons II (second place) from Malmstrom AFB, Mont.

Vocal Self-Accompanied: Airman 1st Class Malcolm Hudson (first place) from Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, and Senior Airman Marc Hightower (second place) from Cannon AFB, N.M.

Technician: Airman 1st Class Aaron Elliot from Hurlburt Field, Fla.

Best of Show: Staff Sgt. Rick Rosales from Keesler AFB.

In addition to competing for Worldwide Talent Search honors, the Airmen also auditioned for spots on the Tops in Blue roster.

"Even though the competition was keen, it was great to see the camaraderie and sense of family that formed among the participants," said Terri Smith, Air Force Entertainment's operations coordinator at the Air Force Services Agency in San Antonio. "The Air Force has always been loaded with talent, but the number of entertainers and the quality of the performances this year were especially high."

Ms. Smith said the revamped Tops in Blue Web site, which now makes it easier for Airmen to submit their audition videos, was one of the keys to the infusion of new talent.

"We had more participants at this year's event than we've had in a long time and a lot of that was due to the Web site," she said. "Since launching it late last year, we've seen a big increase in interest and applications."

For more information, visit www.topsinblue.com.