“Music for the Military”

Walking into the Alice R. Manicur Assembly Hall on Veterans Day made you really appreciate what our veterans and wounded warriors have given to our country throughout the years. Tuesday night, Delta Omicron, the Frostburg State University music fraternity, hosted the Veterans Day Concert called, “Music for the Military.” All donations and proceeds made during the concert will help benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.

The concert first opened with a video about what Veterans Day meant to actual soldiers, as several stories were told about individual veterans, such as Bob Dole and Michael Naranjo. Many wounded soldiers said in the video that they have no idea what they would be doing now if they had not been wounded in combat. However, many wounded soldiers have gone on to have great careers. Bob Dole, for example, went on to become a United States Senator, and was also elected to run for President for the Republican Party. Michael Naranjo, who was blinded by a grenade during an ambush, went on to become a sculptor, explaining he can see with his hands now, creating beautiful artwork without actually seeing it. There are currently three million wounded warriors in the United States.

The video also discussed a memorial that has been built for wounded veterans who are still alive today. The wall is currently the only memorial honoring the living disabled veterans of the United States’ wars. The idea for The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, which is located in Washington, D.C., began its planning phase before the Iraq War, and wants to honor those people who risked their lives protecting this country. This wall is meant to remind disabled soldiers that there is life after war. There are images on the memorial as well, but many of those images need no words to describe them, such as one picture of a young daughter pushing her father in a wheelchair. The thing that amazes people is that each individual name on the memorial has their own story to tell.

To begin the musical portion of the concert, Delta Omicron opened by singing the Star-Spangled Banner, which was followed by a roaring of applause. A jazz band also played, alternating time with the singers of Omicron, which was very lively, as one student said that the, “band was very good.” Talking with other members of the audience, most agreed that one of the most powerful songs sung was Toby Keith’s, “American Soldier,” which was sung by two of the members of Omicron.

During the short intermission, Delta Omicron, “wanted to acknowledge all the active veterans in the room.” There were several war veterans in the audience, as they stood and were greeted by a round of applause. One audience member, who said she personally knew a disabled veteran, said it was both emotional and powerful at the same time when the applause started.

After the Veterans Day Concert was over, many members of Delta Omicron said they were very happy with the way the concert turned out. Sam Politis said that it, “went really well.” She knew from the start it was going to be a, “big success,” and explained how much fun it was to prepare for the event. Diana Whiteman agreed that she loved preparing for the concert, and said they had been working on this event since last May. This is Delta Omicron’s first annual military event, but hope to have it every year after this one. Diana then said that they just wanted the audience to enjoy listening to the music, and to have people donate and support Veterans Day, and the Wounded Warriors Project at the same time.