By Ashley M. Wright
“Americaʼs Got Talent” host Jerry
Springer, right, congratulates
CAP Lt. Col. Paul Salos for his
performance.
Longtime CAP
member shines
on national stage
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Civil Air Patrol Volunteer November-December 2008
Photo courtesy of ʻAmericaʼs Got Talentʼ
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CAP Lt. Col. Paul Salos performs on “Americaʼs
Got Talent,” an NBC competition showcasing the
nationʼs top entertainers. Salos, a Frank Sinatra
impersonator, was one of 3 million people who
applied for the TV show and one of 300,000 that
auditioned. He advanced to the Top 10, finishing
sixth in the competition.
Lt. Col. Paul Salos of
Civil Air Patrol’s Texas
Wing has talent. The
New York native sang his
heart out on the NBC show
“America’s Got Talent,”
making it into the top 10
by impersonating legendary
crooner Frank Sinatra.
Salos’ career as an entertainer began a half-century ago.
The 40-year CAP veteran now jokes about it taking 50
years to become a success in six months, which was the
duration of his time on the national reality TV show.
The decades of practicing for stardom worked in his
favor. Salos outperformed 300,000 people who audi-
tioned to land a top 10 spot on the summer’s No. 1
show, which had a weekly audience of 10 million.
“I’m on top of the world,” he said. “I’m not getting
off this train until the end of the ride. This is my life.”
The “America’s Got Talent” portion of the ride
ended shortly before the entertainer’s 72nd birthday on
Sept. 23, as he fell just short of the votes needed to
continue in the top five.
The show allows entertainers to perform their act,
with judges and home viewers voting for their favorite.
Last year’s winner, a ventriloquist, won a $1 million
prize and a contract to perform at the Las Vegas
Hilton, according to the network’s Web site.
“We have achieved so much,” said Salos, who is a
member of the Plano Mustangs Composite Squadron. “I
hope to be able to plow that road for older entertainers.”
Salos auditioned for “America’s Got Talent” in
Dallas in March. He said the audition line stretched
“10 miles long.” The entertainer returned the
following day and won the heart of the three judges
and audience.
“You are as smooth as velvet,” celebrity judge Sharon
Osborne told Salos at the audition. “Your voice is perfect.
Your phrasing was unbelievable. It’s fantastic.”
Perfecting his Sinatra act took the CAP lieutenant
colonel nine years, he said.
Salos’ reincarnation of “Old Blue Eyes” on a nation-
al stage had quite an effect on some of the younger
members of the Texas Wing.
“I think it is really great to see one of the members
setting the example by going after his dreams,” said 1st Lt.
Steve Gilbert, the Plano Mustangs squadron commander.
Gilbert said watching Salos’ “phenomenal” perform-
ances became an organized event for the group.
“It was one of the best performances I saw,” said
Cadet Staff Sgt. Emilie Cannady. “I’ve never heard of
Frank Sinatra, but Col. Salos is awesome.”
Salos said he was glad some of the younger cadets
were listening to the music of the big band era. “The
music is so old it’s new,” quipped the veteran per-
former, showing his sense of humor.
Salos was instrumental in having “America’s Got
Talent” feature a clip
of himself and other
CAP members
aboard a Gippsland
GA8 Airvan
in support
of the
organization’s
Photo courtesy of
ʻAmericaʼs Got Talentʼ
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Civil Air Patrol Volunteer November-December 2008
Hurricane Katrina relief missions in
2005. The segment aired before one
of his last performances on the show.
This was not Salos’ first appearance
on television. In 1956, he appeared on
“The Ed Sullivan Show” with the Air
Force “Tops in Blue.” During his
career in the Air Force, he toured the
country. He also performed while sta-
tioned at Wheelus Air Force Base in
Tripoli, North Africa.
Whether flying to recover space
shuttle debris from the tragic
Columbia crash for CAP or singing
“Fly Me to the Moon” for America,
Salos credits his wife, Jane, with giv-
ing him strength.
“Jane has been the backbone,” he
said. “She has been with me through thick and thin.”
Although he did not take the top prize on
“America’s Got Talent,” the lieu-
tenant colonel feels his entertainment
career is still on the rise.
“It is not over until I can’t do it
anymore,” he said.
Shortly after his run on the show
ended, Salos was booked to perform
in Las Vegas with Terry Fator, the
2007 “America’s Got Talent” winner,
on Oct. 17 at the MGM Grand
Casino Theater. The show also invit-
ed him back for its Oct. 1 finale.
Salos said in an advance interview
for “America’s Got Talent” that his
performances on the show fulfill a
lifelong dream and would be the
crowning glory of his career.
But, as Sinatra would say, it
appears “The Best is Yet to Come” for CAP’s top
crooner. L
In 1956, then Air Force Airman 3rd
Class Paul Salos, left, chats with Ed
Sullivan before a “Tops in Blue”
performance on Sullivanʼs popular TV
show. Salos had just completed basic
training before the “Tops in Blue”
performance.
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