Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind. -- “Aim High” an enduring statement of Airmen’s pride in service, was recently exemplified off duty when a Grissom Airman left home to sing for the Pope.
Senior Airman, Logan Rivera, 434th Aerial Port aerial port specialist, sang for Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, during a trip to Rome, Nov. 14-21.
“The entire trip was an amazing pilgrimage for me,” said Rivera. “Singing has always been a passion, and as a Catholic, singing in front of the Pope in a city with such a rich heritage of my religion was a dream come true.”
Rivera, who traveled to Rome with his church choir, sang for the first time for the Pope during the consistory, a formal meeting of the College of Cardinals called by the Pope to elevate new Cardinals to the college.
“Shortly after arriving we discovered that Arch Bishop [Joseph] Toben of Indianapolis was going to be elevated to Cardinal, and we would be performing during the event,” said Rivera. “This was a big surprise to us and we were extremely excited.”
During the trip, Rivera, his church choir and twelve other American choirs sang at several events, but the highlight was when Logan and the rest of the choir sang during an outdoor service of over 50,000 people with the Sistine Chapel Choir Nov. 20.
“The second time we sang for the Pope was a mass for the closing of the holy year of mercy,” said Rivera. “It was sang in Latin and Italian, and I actually had a spotlight solo.
“Being able to sing with the Sistine Chapel Choir, such an amazing hand selected group of talented artists, was a once in a life-time experience,” he added.
The Sistine Chapel Choir is a choir based in Vatican City and is one of the oldest religious choirs in the world.
Rivera said he began singing at a very young age because of his love for music. He started off singing in school performances and later with his church choir.
Rivera’s voice has also been heard at various events around Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind., where he is stationed and volunteers to sing for official military functions and ceremonies.
“[Rivera] is a prime example of the versatility shown through our Citizen Airmen,” said Col. Larry Shaw, 434th Air Refueling Wing commander. “He has an amazing voice, and his willingness to share his talent with us is a testament of his character and dedication to the Air Force.”
Grissom is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command and the Marine Corps Reserve Detachment 1 Communications Company. Grissom Soldiers, Airmen and Marines routinely deploy around the world in support of the Department of Defense mission and U.S. strategic objectives.
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