Got a voice? Like to sing?

Then sign up for the ninth annual Operation Rising Star. It's the military's version of American Idol.

The competition for singers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord begins with an audition at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5 on base at the Warrior Zone.

"I'm amazed each year how much talent there is," said Bill Strock, the event coordinator and rec specialist supervisor at JBLM. "There's some incredible talent each year."

At the audition, singers will perform for three judges and the competition will be cut to 12. Last year's competition started with 40, and Jennifer Peltier, who sang love ballads, won.

"She was a very nice, melodic singer," Strock said.

To compete, you have to be 18 or older, be active military or be a family member of someone who is active-duty military. There's one more rule.

"You can't be a professional," Strock said. "You can't be someone who puts out records and sells them."

After the audition, there are three more competitions to decide the winner - Sept. 12, Sept. 19 and Sept. 26 with the finals. On the final night, there are four singers left. The winner pockets $500 and is eligible for the Armywide Operation Rising Star finals in Houston, Texas.

In the nine years of the competition, three singers from JBLM have advanced to nationals. One year, an 18-year-old girl from JBLM advanced to nationals. Each year, there's a wide variety in music styles, ranging from rock to country.

"Our final four last year was very good," Strock said. "We had a show tune girl. We had a pop music ballad, country singer and a hard rock guy. So it all depends. It's very different. You never know what you're going to get."

Competition is decided by two factors - the voice and the support. The judges and audience both vote. So, the bigger the support, the better the singer's chances of winning.

"Since the audience has 50 percent of the vote, the singer that has the bigger backing usually wins," Strock said.

Strock remembers one year an entire brigade marching over to vote for one singer. The unit that supports their singer the best wins $300 for the spirit award.

"The spirit award is to draw people out," Strock said. "It's a dual win. As much fun as it is for the performer, the audience also has a great time."

To groom talent and promote turnout, Strock has put on a rock star karaoke with the band night for the past month. Strock was impressed with the level of talent.

"The people that got up there and sang with the band were just phenomenal," Strock said. "They're out there. You've just got to give them a chance."

One year, two of the singers in the competition went to an America's Got Talent audition in Seattle.

"Both were really good," Strock said. "But in America's Got Talent they're looking for the story. They're also looking for the goofy ones and the good ones. The guys in the middle don't get a chance to move forward."

To sign up for this year's competition, singers can enter by filling out applications available at the Warrior Zone or online at oprisingstar.com. Contestants can also sign up at the audition. One week from the start of the competition, Strock only had 10 entries signed up.

"We just hope people come out and have a good time and support the talent here," Strock said. "It's a really good time for everyone."