Submitted by John Hawes – Published in the Spring 2023 New Horizons International Music Association (NHIMA) Newsletter.
THE NEW HORIZONS BAND OF SUMMIT AND STARK COUNTIES really means it when our members tell a veteran “Thank you for your service.” Our band has a long and honored tradition of performing for veteran groups in Northeast Ohio. For several years, we have proudly provided the music for the Military Air Preservation Society’s (MAPS) annual Veterans Celebration in their huge air hangar on the edge of the runway for the Akron/Canton Airport. To an audience of up to 450 guests, we have played patriotic music including the Star-Spangled Banner, God Bless the USA, and other songs. The favorite selection is always the Marches of the Armed Forces. As the song for each branch of the military is played, members who have served in that branch are asked to rise and be recognized and applauded.
Our band has also provided patriotic music for the Ohio Veterans Memorial Park’s Memorial Day Observation. After the lengthy parade in Clinton, OH ends, a large audience (usually about 300 people) gathers to further remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. An important part of the ceremony is when all veterans assemble in a circle around the huge flagpole and pass the wreath from one to another until it reaches the end and is then placed near the Vietnam Veterans monument, a 125-foot polished black granite wall with the names of 3,095 Ohioans lost during the Vietnam War. What an honor to participate in such an important event!
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