Staff Sergeant Julie Keough

Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Julie Keough is a vocalist and operations technician for the Heritage of America Band ensemble Full Spectrum. SSgt Keough began her Air Force career in November of 2018, when she was assigned to the USAF Academy Band in Colorado Springs. There, she served as lead vocalist as well as playing acoustic guitar and ukulele for Wild Blue Country; she also served in that capacity as a member of the AFCENT band when she deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar from November of 2020 until April of 2021. She received a Permanent Change of Station to the Heritage of America Band in October of 2021.

Hailing from Waldorf MD, SSgt Keough graduated from Thomas Stone High School in 1998 and earned her B.A. in Vocal Performance & Theatre Arts at McDaniel College, where she graduated as a College Scholar, Summa Cum Laude and with Departmental Honors in both majors, also earning the Esther Smith award for excellence in the Fine Arts, in 2002. From there she has performed all over the world-- in New York, NY, Washington, D.C, Budapest, Hungary, Phoenix, AZ, Pigeon Forge, TN, and aboard Celebrity's GTS Summit, before making Lancaster, PA, her home for 10 years.

In Pennsylvania, SSgt Keough appeared for 8 consecutive seasons at American Music Theatre, and at Fulton Theatre, Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, multiple venues in her original shows “Country Gals,” “Crossover,” and “Women Who Rock,” in the choir and as a soloist for jazz mass at St. James Episcopal Church, and flying solo with her guitar at various small venues.

Since joining the Air Force, SSgt Keough has performed on Sirius XM Radio, local and national television on news shows and for professional sporting events, and at Katara Opera House, among many other venues around the U.S. and abroad. In January of 2021, she recorded the vocal duet ‘Rising,’ by world renowned Qatari female composer Dana Al Fardan, alongside her AFCENT bandmates and the Qatar Concert Choir, as well as Ms. Al Fardan herself, to commemorate the Qatar-USA Year of Culture.

EDUCATION
2002 Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance and Theatre Arts, Western Maryland College, Westminster MD

ASSIGNMENTS
1. Nov 2018 - Jan 2019, Basic Military Training, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
2. Jan 2019 - Oct 2021, United States Air Force Academy Band, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado
3. Oct 2021 - present, Heritage of America Band, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Air and Space Achievement Medal, with one oak leaf Cluster
AF Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Air and Space Expeditionary Service Ribbon

Air and Space Longevity Service Award

USAF NCO PME Graduate Ribbon
Basic Military Training Honor Graduate Ribbon
Air and Space Training Ribbon

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2020 USAFA Public Affairs Communication Excellence Outstanding Communication Airman
2021 USAFA Public Affairs Communication Excellence Outstanding Communication Airman

(Current as of April 2023)