Tops in Blues makes sweet family reunion music Published June 8, 2007 By Frank McIntyre 71st Flying Training Wing public affairs VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The O'Jay's classic "Family Reunion" may not be on the play list for Monday's Tops in Blue show, but that won't prevent one from taking place between the stage and three Team Vance members in the audience. Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Deem, 71st Operations Support Squadron, with daughters Skyler and Amelia, will be in the front row of the Chisholm Trail Expo Center when the stage lights come up and there's husband and father, 2nd Lt. Adam Deem in the TIB band onstage. Being brought together for the Air Force's expeditionary entertainers show in Enid isn't quite the way the Deems were supposed to be together as a Team Vance family. "Our last assignment together was as air traffic controllers at Ramstein AB, Germany. The kids and I came to Vance last June," Sergeant Deem said. "Adam had an assignment to undergraduate pilot training at Columbus AFB, Miss., with temporary duty enroute for officers' training school at Maxwell AFB, Ala. After my arrival here the chain of command arranged for Adam to be assigned to Vance for UPT." The reunion at Vance didn't go as expected. "Unfortunately a color vision problem was discovered while he was Brooks City Base, Texas," Sergeant Deem said. "Everyone was really surprised when the color vision issue arose because he had taken the same color vision tests on numerous occasions as an air traffic controller and as a commercial rated civilian pilot and never had any issues. Following disqualification from pilot training, Lieutenant Deem remained at Brooks on casual status working in the wing executive's office until receiving an aircraft maintenance officer slot. Since no position was available at Vance, he received orders to Grand Forks AFB, N.D. Following a house hunting trip to the air refueling base and putting a deposit on an apartment, he returned to casual status at Brooks to await his transfer. After reading an e-mail recruiting saxophonists for Tops in Blue, the newly commissioned officer decided, since he was just across the city from Lackland AFB, he'd call and arrange an audition. After a visit to a local pawn shop for an instrument, a successful audition and a return of the instrument at the pawn shop, Lieutenant Deem, as a member of Tops in Blue, was finally on track for an official trip to Vance AFB. Unfortunately it will only be a short visit before the cast members, entertainers and technicians alike load the 36,000 pounds of staging and musical equipment required for each performance and head for their next stop - F.E. Warren AFB, Wy. By the time the 2007 version of Tops in Blue wraps up its tour back at Lackland the end of February, they will have put on about 140 shows in 30 countries. But the highlight of the year-long tour for one member will be performing for three special ladies in their new hometown of Enid, Okla.