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Veterans attend recent concerts

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Marc Dinitz
Washington, D.C. --  One of the three pillars of The U.S. Air Force Band's mission is to honor those who have served. As part of the Band's Summer Concert Series, multiple units recently had the opportunity to perform for WWII veterans, and were even led by one...the Band's conductor emeritus retired Col. Arnald D. Gabriel.

The Concert Band and Singing Sergeants were joined in the audience by Honor Flight Austin at their concert on July 11 at the Air Force Memorial. This group, which arrived from Texas earlier in the day, included eight WWII veterans as well as veterans from the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America's veterans for all their sacrifices. They transport war
veterans to Washington, D.C. from all over the country. Top priority is given to senior veterans, mostly WWII survivors, along with others who are terminally ill.

The Austin chapter of the Honor Flight Network, which has been operating for two years, has made 18 flights to Washington, D.C., with more than 560 veterans. While a visit to a concert by The U.S. Air Force Band is normally not part of the scheduled itinerary, Honor Flight Austin Chairman Alan Bergeron added it to the trip. "There happened to be a concert that coincided with our trip on the 11th, so we worked it into the schedule," says Bergeron. "It was a wonderful evening for the veterans who made the trip, and they couldn't stop talking about the concert the whole next day and even upon our return to Austin."

The evening was made even more special as Gabriel conducted multiple pieces on the concert, which was entitled "Bella Notte - An Italian Salute." Gabriel, who served as commander and conductor of The U.S. Air Force Band from 1964 to 1985, was named the first conductor emeritus of the band in 1990. A combat machine gunner with the United States Army's famed 29th Infantry Division in Europe during WWII; Gabriel received two awards of the Bronze Star Medal, the Combat Infantryman's Badge and the French Croix de Guerre.

On July 6, The U.S. Air Force Band presented Celtic Aire and the Band's country/pop group Silver Wings in a performance at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Attending this concert in full dress uniform was retired Air Force Col. Bob Shawn, a 94-year-old, highly decorated WWII veteran. Shawn, who joined the Army Air Corps in 1940, became an enlisted pilot (which Congress authorized in 1941) and was later commissioned into the officer corps. Awarded 24 medals for his service, he was promoted to general yet retired early as a colonel, and has a personal goal to become the oldest living WWII veteran. Says Senior Master Sgt. Dennis Hoffmann, who performed in the concert, "It is an honor to perform for all veterans who come to our shows, but to have a chance to meet Colonel Shawn and hear some of his stories was a true honor."

Honoring those who have served will always be an integral part of The United States Air Force Band's mission. If you are a member of a veteran group and would like to attend a future concert by The U.S. Air Force Band, please click here to arrange for your group to be introduced.