Operation Season's Greetings entertains Ali

ALI AIR BASE, Iraq -- Country music star Jamie O'Neal sings a duet with Staff Sgt. Jennifer Fisher Nov. 24 during Operation Season's Greetings '07. The Band of the U.S. Air Force Reserve and the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band, Latin superstar Melina Leon, country music Jamie O'Neal, comedian Dick Hardwick and six New England Patriot Cheerleaders also entertained the crowd. After the show, the entertainers signed autographs and posed for pictures. Sergeant Fisher is assigned to the 407th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron and is deployed from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Jonathan Snyder)

Ali Base airman shares spotlight with Jamie O'Neal

Country music star Jamie O'Neal shares the stage with Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy Fisher during the Operation Season's Greetings performance at Ali Base, Iraq. The tour, sponsored by the Air Force Reserve Command, also featured latin singer Melina Leon and comedian Dick Hardwick. OSG, now in its 10th year, brings entertainment to deployed US servicemembers throughout the world. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ken Hackman)

Airman at Ali Base shares stage with music star

Published Nov. 28, 2007
By Senior Master Sgt. Ray Sarracino
Operations Seasons' Greetings Public Affairs

ALI BASE, Iraq -- When Staff Sgt. Stacy Fisher, a security forces flight chief and native of Hesperia, Mich., took the stage during Jamie O'Neal's performance of "When I Think about Love," she received an unexpected reception.

"The crowd was very supportive," said Sergeant Fisher. "They seemed to like having one of their own on stage."

Sergeant Fisher took the stage during an Operation Seasons Greetings performance. This annual tour, sponsored by U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Force Reserve Command, brings musicians, comedians, cheerleaders and entertainers on a mission of morale to deployed troops.

How the sergeant arrived at this moment had more to do with her commander than with any serious aspirations about joining the tour. The commander remembered her performance during a recent talent competition called "Ali's Got Talent," and arranged for her to sing a song with Ms. O'Neal.

Sergeant Fisher was on duty when she was informed over the radio that she would be joining the country music star onstage.

"When they called me to tell me I was scared, nervous, surprised...actually, terrified is a better word for how I felt," she said. "I have terrible stage fright and I don't know all of the words to the song, so I had them written down."

Sergeant Fisher may have been nervous, but Ms. O'Neal found her performance flawless.

"She did a great job," said Ms. O'Neal. "She said she was nervous, but I didn't notice it at all. I found it funny that here she is in the middle of a war zone and she's nervous about singing with me. She was poised and really fun to sing with."

Although her rendition of Anna Nalick's "Breath" put her on the base's musical radar, it didn't win the "Ali's Got Talent" competition. Yet, her musical abilities are part of a family tradition for her. Her father is a member of a classic rock cover band back in Hesperia.

"With my dad having a band, music is something I've been doing my whole life," she said.

Sergeant Fisher loves music, but, prefers singing to her three children at home, Paige, 6, Janelle, 2 and Amiah, 1 when she's not on stage.

Despite a great response from her fellow Ali Base Airmen, she's not content to rest on her laurels - she's continuing to work on her nursing degree and plans on becoming a registered nurse after completing graduation. (Air Force Reserve Command News Service)