NCO's daughter steps up to the mic

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Evan M. Ross
  • 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  A car engine started and pulled out of a driveway a few minutes before 5 a.m. for what was sure to be a very long day. A young family headed to the George B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, to audition for the television show "America's Got Talent."

After an eight-hour wait, Amber Buss, the 12-year-old daughter of Tech. Sgt. Shane Buss of the 47th Flying Training Wing equal opportunity office, finally got her chance to perform her talent in front of one of the show's producers. She sang "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz.

Amber's journey did not begin here, however. She began singing at eight years old in her room. He parents realized her gift and enrolled her in voice lessons while Shane was stationed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

The voice lessons stopped when the family moved to Laughlin, but the talent continued to grow.

When the Buss family moved to Laughlin, Amber got the chance to shyly step up to the microphone and sing at the enlisted club during an event attended by Col. Tom Murphy, 47th Flying Training Wing commander, and many other people.

"At the beginning of her song, people thought they were listening to the radio," said Shane. "Then you could see people tapping each other on the arm and pointing to Amber saying, 'That's not the radio; that's that girl singing.'"

This performance vaulted Amber into Murphy's spotlight, and according to Amber, his support, along with that of retired Chief Master Sgt. Brian Osborne, current 47th Flying Training Wing equal opportunity chief, and several other base members was her inspiration for her next performance.

It was not until Jan. 12, in an auditorium filled with more than 400 participants that Amber got her next chance to showcase her gift. Groups of six to eight individuals at a time were brought into the audition room to try out. It would be hours, however, before Amber's turn came.

While in the staging area waiting for her turn to impress the judge, she had her first taste of success of the day.

A talent company was walking around the auditorium asking people to sing while they recorded on camera. They had been unable to convince anyone in the room to be brave enough to sing for them until 12-year-old Amber stepped up to the microphone.

"It was a very proud moment for us to see her be the first to sing for the camera, because after she did it, several other people did as well," said Shane.

Finally, at 3:30 p.m., almost eight hours after the Buss family arrived, it was Amber's turn to wow the producer of the show. Her group of seven was called back to audition at last.

"She was the youngest person in the room by seven years," said Renee Buss, Amber's mother, "and I think I was more nervous than she was."

Amber once again stepped up to the microphone bolstered by the confidence of her family and many supporters and delivered an incredible performance. When the first few lines of her song reached the ears of the producer and the other contestants, jaws began to drop, and amazement washed over the room.

"She must have liked it, because she was nodding her head and tapping her foot," said Amber about the producer that was judging her performance. "Afterwards, she said I did really well."

When Amber told the room how young she was, what was astonishment grew into adoration.

After everyone had the chance to audition, Amber left the room, but not the minds of the other competitors, as she was showered with praise by her fellow contestants. Finally, the Buss family could head home after a long day.

Unfortunately for the Buss family, the results of the audition were not released at the try-out. Amber was told that she would receive a phone call late in February if the producers wanted her to come back for a second audition. The family is waiting patiently.

Shane explained that his daughter's singing voice is not what impresses him most about her.

"Watching Amber exhibit the same confidence in herself that we've always had in her was a very proud moment for me and her mother," said Shane.

Whether or not Amber receives the call that many feel she deserves, Amber's hope is to pursue music as a career. Like a member of any military family, though, she also has a sound back-up plan.

"If I don't make it singing professionally, I want to sing for my church," said Amber. "Singing makes me happy."