“You know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby!” yelled out Air Force Master Sgt. Derriel Morris from the elevated stage, Guns N’ Roses style, guitars beside him shredding.
Directly behind him, the flightline at Luke AFB in Arizona hummed with the activity of fighter jets. The crowd in front was comprised mostly of men and women dressed in OCP uniforms and flight suits, just like Morris and his rhythm guitarist, base commander Brig. Gen. Jason “Ox” Rueschhoff.
It was only the first gig for the band known as Dead 2 Rites. But under the umbrella of Fighter Country Talent Squad, a collective of nine bands and 80+ military-connected musicians, Morris, Rueschhoff and others have been performing — often together — for years.
“Just being able to play music with likeminded individuals who get together, jam and have a good time, it’s awesome,” said Morris, an aircraft maintainer. “You get to put everything out of your mind and do the thing you love to do.”
It all started during COVID-19 times, when a fighter pilot stationed at Luke got the idea to form a military-connected band as a way to combat the isolation. His wife, Teresa Greenwood — now Fighter Country Talent Squad’s director — put out a Facebook post. Was anyone interested?
Within 12 hours, Greenwood had nine people ready to rock.
“This group would be nothing without the dedication and commitment of the members to music,” she said. “They put in the hours of practice, they show up in the heat and the cold, they make this an actual thing. I only facilitate.”
Since its birth, more than 310 active duty, reservists, retirees, veterans and military family members have participated in Fighter Country Talent Squad’s current offerings of R&B, jazz, country, rock, punk rock and classic hits bands, as well as a few smaller acoustic ensembles. Together, they practice 600+ hours per year and perform around 75 concerts annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Though not affiliated with the DOD nor holding any governmental status, the Fighter Country Talent Squad gets a hearty endorsement from higher-ups like Rueschhoff, who has played with multiple squad bands.
“It’s a great way to meet people from all different diverse backgrounds and experiences and find a common bond in music,” Rueschhoff said. “It’s an outlet to express yourself within the parameters of military life.”
Bands aren’t just for seasoned musicians like Rueschhoff, who has been playing guitar for 37 years. They’re also for military kids like 13-year-old Jordan Gilbert, Dead 2 Rites’ drummer and the former drummer for another Fighter Country Talent Squad band.
“I think they’re all just really fun people to play with,” said Jordan, whose father retired from the Coast Guard and connected him with Greenwood. “You can tell that all these guys like the music they’re playing and have fun with it.”
His favorite moment has been playing for 12 minutes during the halftime show of the Celebrity Flag Football Challenge held at Grand Canyon University over Super Bowl 2023 weekend. Before finding the unfunded Fighter Country Talent Squad, most of his drumming experience came via practicing and recording songs in his room. But now, not only does he get to perform classic and alternative rock covers in public like “Welcome to the Jungle” and Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy,” he gets to represent military kids’ many talents.
“If these bands were just military members, there would be a lot of good musicians in general left out,” Jordan said.
And left out is exactly what Fighter Country Talent Squad musicians do not want. All military-connected singers and instrumentalists can find a musical home there regardless of rank, race, religion, politics or age, Greenwood said. And even as band members PCS in and out, the beat goes on.
“We’re all professional about our bands,” said Morris, Dead 2 Rites’ lead singer. “Our dream gig would be to play at Talking Stick [a local resort and casino]. But for now, it’s such a good opportunity for military people to get together, form bonds and not think about anything but playing music.”
For more information on joining or booking a Fighter Country Talent Squad band, email fightercountrytalentsquad@gmail.com.
