Face of Defense: Airman’s Music Provides Sense of Serenity

By Air Force Senior Airman Jake Eckhardt

375th Air Mobility Wing

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill., Feb. 5, 2015 – To the 436th Supply Chain Operations Squadron’s customers, Air Force Airman 1st Class Linh Phan seems like any other camouflage-clad airman. But it's what he does in his free time that sets him apart.

The limited space in Phan's dorm room is occupied by a bed, a desk, a cabinet -- and the airman’s piano and acoustic guitar.

"I love music," Phan said. "I remember singing as a kid. I would see people playing a guitar, and I would think how awesome that was."

Growing up, Phan recalled that his father would play guitar and his mother sang to instill in him a method of maintaining resilience and stability.

Phan said he began playing guitar in the eighth grade while living in Vietnam and he continued to fine-tune his craft throughout a move to Wisconsin in 2007 and enlistment into the Air Force.

Best Tool to Overcome Stress

"When I play, I don't think about anything else,” he said. “You just play it. It is the best tool to overcome stress."

Once he arrived here, Phan expanded his artistic reach by buying an electric piano, with lifetime lessons included in the package. He attends these lessons every Saturday for an hour.

"I like piano,” he said. “It's really sophisticated. I wanted to learn something new and the more I played, the more I realized that it's really relaxing."

Phan has taken the sense of serenity he's gained from his music and applied it to his professional life.

Positive Attitude

"Airman Phan is a very likeable person,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Alexis Kennedy, Phan's supervisor. “He is kind, intelligent, and a team player. He always displays a positive attitude in the work center. He is an example for his peers and above. He has the whole-airman concept down.

"It's refreshing to see someone submerge themselves in a craft that is as expressive as music is,” Kennedy continued. “Music is all around us, and when you can create or play music for yourself, that's as relaxing as it can get. I'm happy to see Airman Phan use music as an outlet to regroup himself. Not only is it positive, but it's beautiful as well."

Phan said he believes everyone should learn how to play a musical instrument.

"Music is a world language,” he added. “You may not understand the lyrics, but you understand the music and the beat."