 |
| Lucinda Lough, a defense contractor at the Pentagon, waves the American flag, while singing along to the Lt. Dan Band’s rendition of “Proud to be an American.” Lough’s husband, Ray, a Navy veteran, joined her at the Pentagon for the show. Photo By Ryan Gallucci |
Actor Gary Sinise performs for Pentagon, wounded warriors, and American troops around the world
AMVETS joins America Supports You for annual military appreciation concert
Story by: Ryan Gallucci
WASHINGTON, May 21, 2008— The sun finally broke through the clouds over the Pentagon courtyard shortly after noon on Friday, May 16, as actor Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band took the stage for the annual America Supports You Military Appreciation Day Concert for the troops. Wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., joined hundreds of other military personnel, along with AMVETS and dozens of America Supports You Homefront Groups for the concert, which was simulcast to troops serving in more than 188 countries over the Pentagon Channel and the Armed Forces Network.
 |
| AMVETS National Commander John P. “JP” Brown III speaks with a Marine Gunnery Sergeant and an Air Force Master Sergeant during the annual America Supports You Military Appreciation Day Concert at the Pentagon. AMVETS was on hand for the event along with more than 40 American Supports You Homefront Groups. Photo by Ryan Gallucci |
“After the brutal attacks on 9/11, coming to the Pentagon for an event like this, it really shows how we’ve come together as a nation to support those who have volunteered to serve,” said AMVETS National Commander John P. “JP” Brown III, who was on hand for the event. “It’s inspiring to see this open line of support between veterans’ service organizations such as AMVETS and the Department of Defense. It shows a keen awareness on the part of our military leaders for serving the needs of the war-fighter.”
The fourth-annual concert has become a tradition for the Department of Defense, bringing in performers like Sinise to play live for troops around the world as part of Military Appreciation Month. Each year it kicks off a weekend of events around the DC-Metro area that includes the Joint Services Open House at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band, performing for the second time at the Pentagon, treated the crowd to a wide array of familiar tunes ranging from Rascal Flatts to Jimi Hendrix. During one number, the band was joined on stage by members of the crowd, including America Supports You visionary, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Allison Barber, who took the opportunity to show off some of her dance moves with the troops on hand.
As a fitting end to the show, Sinise and his band covered Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American,” as the crowd came to their feet and belted out the popular patriotic tune.
During the band’s set, Sinise called on everyone in the crowd to cheer for the troops watching the concert live via satellite.
“You’re our volunteer defenders, and we’ll never take that for granted,” Sinise said as the crowd let out a thunderous applause.
Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band have travelled the world entertaining the troops, performing in Iraq on three occasions.
“It seems like the right thing to do. I have Vietnam vets in the family and friends who remember what it was like when they came home,” said Sinise. “I don’t want that to happen again.”
Sinise witnessed firsthand the hardship that American troops endured when returning from combat in the Vietnam War. He wanted to make a difference for this generation of veterans and show them that they have this nation’s full support.
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Wade Cobar, who is recovering at Bethesda from wounds he received in Iraq, said Sinise has been a tremendous morale booster for his fellow troops convalescing around the nation’s capitol. Sinise regularly visits both Walter Reed and Bethesda to talk with wounded warriors from Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Pentagon concert is hosted each year by the America Supports You program, a program within the Department of Defense that seeks to highlight how Americans are coming together to show their support for our men and women in uniform. With more than 300 non-profit Homefront Groups and more than 30 corporate supporters, American Supports You constantly seeks new and innovative ways to demonstrate America’s commitment to those who have served.
Barber, the wife of a Navy commander, launched the American Supports You program in 2004 to help raise awareness about how the U.S. military is supported on the home front in the Global War on Terrorism. She has brought to bear the assets of hundreds of grassroots groups, veterans’ service organizations, and multinational corporations to show that regardless of political beliefs, Americans will continue to support those who wear the uniform.
“I think what makes this concert so special is that we are able to highlight how celebrities and our Homefront Groups, who work so hard for the troops, are coming together,” said Barber. “I am excited and humbled by the tradition we have started here, and I hope that it makes a difference for our men and women who have sacrificed so much.”
AMVETS officially signed on as an American Supports You Homefront Group shortly after the program’s inception in 2004 and continues to work with the Department of Defense to provide for those who have served.
In 2005, AMVETS signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Guard Bureau, allowing AMVETS posts around the country to work hand-in-hand with their local National Guard units. This year, AMVETS hopes to expand on this relationship as DoD launches the pilot for the Joint Family Support Assistance Program, a one-source program initiated by the Pentagon to coordinate family assistance for deployed service members across the uniformed services.
|
