Kadena Airmen perform Tops In Blue

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Mike Tateishi
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  It's the show that's for Airmen, by Airmen. Tops In Blue is a show designed to provide memories for the crowd with their high energy songs with audience interaction...but this performance is also huge in memories for those in the show.

While Tops In Blue is designed to provide memories for the crowd with their high energy songs with audience interaction, it's also huge in memories for a couple of those performing in the show.

"This has been the most amazing tour of my entire life," exclaimed Senior Airman Christopher Cacopardo, who plays the trumpet in the show. "I have a little Facebook app that tells me all the places that I've been and it's full of green dots all around the world. I've been to more places on this tour (at) my age then some people in their entire life," he added.

More than the touring, this is a homecoming of sorts for Cacopardo. He left Kadena's flightline maintaining F-15s last year to pursue his passion.

"Coming back to Kadena, it's actually different. I just sat back a couple of rows the night before I left here and watched a movie in this theater and thought to myself....'I would be performing this theater'..and now that I'm here, I actually went down and sat in the same chair that I sat in and it made me realize, it's amazing. I still can't believe I'm doing this."

Caopardo isn't the only one who can't believe he's performing here. SSgt Candice Fagan assigned to the 82nd Reconnaissance Squadron was glad to perform the three shows at Kadena.

"The last time I saw my family was March 6th, before I left for San Antonio, Texas. I'm very glad to be back home at Kadena," she said.

The show at Kadena is one these two Airmen won't forget. In just a few months they'll come back to Kadena and continue performing. Only the next time they're here, they'll be performing in their respective Air Force specialties.