May 2026
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31

Posts Tagged ‘cornet’

Trumpet Show at Covenant Shores Retirement Community on Mercer Island

Posted by glennled on May 24, 2018

Covenant Shores, Mercer Island

Fifteen years after moving from Mercer Island to Edmonds, I returned to M.I. to do something I had neither dreamed of nor could have predicted when I lived there for 30 years (1973-2003)—i.e., perform a one-hour show on my trumpet! Oh, I still have my car serviced at Mercer Island Service Center, and I still use my same dentist, Lewis and Gibson, DDS, after all these years. But to play “Showtune Favorites: Hit Songs from Musicals and Movies” for about 50 residents of Covenant Shores (CS) Retirement Community—“Who’da thunk it?”

See? Here’s proof: some of my jokes are funny!

The CS Chaplain, Rev. Greg Asimakoupoulos, longtime family friend, invited me to Fellowship Hall for the show on 17 May. That’s Norwegian Constitution Day—his mother, Star (91), is of Norwegian descent. The day commemorates the signing of the Norwegian Constitution in Eidsvoll 204 years ago on 17 May 1814. More about this later.

“Showtune Favorites” features 25 songs written during 1906 to 1992 which were sung in South Pacific, Oklahoma, The Sound of Music, Show Boat, The Music Man, My Fair Lady, Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, Hello Dolly, Gigi, Grease, Aladdin, and others. The audience sings along with me, as I play. I use two trumpets, one cornet, two mutes, and three mouthpieces.

“Showtune Favorites” trumpet show by Glenn Ledbetter

The finale was “You’re a Grand Old Flag” by George M. Cohan in 1906. It was sung by James Cagney in the movie, “Yankee Doodle Dandy” (1942). I invited Chaplain Greg on stage with me to lead the singing, and Roxanne Helleren, CS’s Resident Life Director, accompanied us on the piano. Suddenly, Chaplain Greg vigorously waved the Norwegian flag! After the laughs, he brought out the American flag, and we burst into song. It was rousing, and the audience clapped in rhythm as they sang.

Covenant Shores opened in 1978, and today, it occupies 12 acres of land on Lake Washington waterfront with a private marina. There are 298 apartments for rent, as follows:

Residential Living: 208
Assisted Living: 32
Memory Care: 15
Skilled Nursing: 43

Floor Plans:

There are 12 different floor plans in the complex of buildings. Please see https://www.covenantshores.org/floor-plans.

Adventurer: 1 Bdrm, 1 Bth, 806 s.f.
Tradewinds: 1 Bdrm, 1 Bth, 633 s.f.
Tradewinds: 1 Bdrm, 1 Bth, 806 s.f.
Islander: 2 Bdrm, 1 Bth, 955 s.f.
Custom Islander: 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth, 1,600 s.f.
Tradewinds: 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth, 955 s.f.
Tradewinds Plus Den: 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth, 1,300 s.f.
Voyager: 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth, 1,182 s.f.
Lighthouse: 1 Bdrm, 1 Bth, 1,086 s.f.
Lighthouse Plus Den: 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth, 1,753 s.f.
Lighthouse Plus Den: 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth, 1,504 s.f.
Shoreview: 2 Bdrm, 2 Bth, 955 s.f.

Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

Photos by Greg Asimakoupoulos and Bob Bowen, Covenant Shores:

Roxanne Helleren accompanies Glenn Ledbetter and Chaplain Greg Asimakoupoulos on “You’re a Grand Old Flag”

Courtesy of Covenant Shores:

Photos by Glenn Ledbetter

Posted in Shows at Retirement Homes | Tagged: cornet, Covenant Shores, Mercer Island, mouthpieces, musicals, mutes, piano, retirement community, Rev. Greg Asimakoupoulos, Roxanne Helleren, songs, trumpet, You're a Grand Old Flag | Leave a Comment »

Trumpet Show at Chateau at Bothell Landing

Posted by glennled on May 14, 2018

Glenn Ledbetter’s “Showtune Favorites Trumpet Show” at Chateau at Bothell Landing

More than 25 residents of the Chateau at Bothell (CABL) Senior Living Community came to hear me perform my one-hour trumpet show, “Showtune Favorites,” last Thursday, 3 May. My show consists of about 25 well-loved songs from musicals and movies such as South Pacific, My Fair Lady, Carousel, Show Boat, Hello Dolly, Gigi, The Music Man, The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, Grease, Aladdin, and more. I used two trumpets, one cornet, four mouthpieces, and two mutes. Residents sang along as I played and kindly laughed at my jokes.

CABL is located on a hillside, and its buildings and grounds are strikingly beautiful. It opened in 2003, and has a total of 262 rooms for rent, offering independent living, assisted living, memory care (25 residents), and respite care.

There are a plethora of Life Enrichment Amenities:

Stage and auditorium
Elegant dining room
Modern bistro restaurant
Private dining room
Outdoor dining courtyard
Health club
Fitness studio
Heated indoor therapy pool
Heated indoor lap pool
Library
Computer stations with internet access
Woodshop
Parking garages
Spa room
Full-service salon
Complimentary laundry facilities
Concierge services
Air conditioned bus with wheelchair lift
Chateau car service

There are 20 different Floor Plans: please see http://www.chateau-bothell-landing.com/senior-living/wa/bothell/floor-plans

Studio (3) – 404-470 s.f.
1 Br, 1 Bth (10) – 603-780 s.f.
2 Br, 2 Bth (7) – 930-1287 s.f.

Photos of are courtesy of Chateau at Bothell Landing (except for a couple of the front entrance by me). Aly Winters of the CABL’s Life Enrichment Team, headed by Lacy Steed, L.E. Director, took the pictures during the show. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

Chateau at Bothell Landing

Main entrance, Chateau at Bothell Landing

Skybridge, Chateau at Bothell Landing

bothell-senior-living-swimming-pool-new[1]

Posted in Shows at Retirement Homes | Tagged: Chateau at Bothell Landing, cornet, mouthpieces, musicals, mutes, retirement community, showtune, songs, trumpet | Leave a Comment »

“Showtune Favorites” Trumpet Show at Chateau Pacific Retirement Community in Lynnwood

Posted by glennled on April 18, 2018

Glenn Ledbetter’s “Showtune Favorites” trumpet show, Chateau Pacific Retirement Community, Lynnwood

Trumpet shows at retirement communities are unusual. More often, the residents are treated to piano, guitar, or flute music and singers. But after I performed a one-hour show entitled “Showtune Favorites: Hit Songs from Musicals and Movies” on 29 March for an audience of about 40+ in the Fireside Lounge at Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Andrea Uchytil, the Life Enrichment Director, said to me, “We want you back soon!”

Andrea Uchytil, Life Enhancement Director, Chateau Pacific Retirement Community

Before the show, she had warned me, “People come and go during these shows.” But there was very little of that. People hummed and sang along to songs from The Sound of Music, Porgy and Bess, Casablanca, South Pacific, My Fair Lady, The Music Man, Fiddler on the Roof, Hello Dolly, and more. And they chuckled or groaned at my jokes. I performed at Happy Hour (3:30 p.m.), and indeed, it was a happy time for all of us.

I used three horns, two mutes, and three mouthpieces during the show: my Super Olds cornet (1954), Getzen Eterna Severinsen trumpet (c. 1977), and Jupiter JPT-416 Pocket Trumpet (2000).

Meanwhile, I enjoyed learning about Chateau Pacific Retirement Community (see http://www.chateau-pacific.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/Chateau-Retirement-144233238701/ ). It is located near the intersection of State Highways 99 and 525 in north Lynnwood.

Chateau Pacific was built in 2000, and is 4 stories high. The community has the capacity of 147 apartments, including the Memory Care units which can accommodate 24 residents. The Independent and Assisted Living units are integrated throughout the whole community. Units for Respite Care are not available on a regular basis.

There are five basic floor plans. Counting the variations of those plans, there are actually 15 different layouts, as shown on the website:

Chateau Pacific Retirement Community, Lynnwood

Studio, 1 Bth – from 294 to 431 sq.ft.
1 Bdrm, 1 Bth – from 457 to 738 sq.ft.
2 Bdrm, 1 Bth – from 821 to 834 sq.ft.
2 Bdrm, 2 Bth – from 854 to 895 sq.ft.

The Photo Gallery at http://www.chateau-pacific.com/senior-living/wa/lynnwood/photo-gallery contains 20 photos, showing the rooms, common areas including indoor pool and fitness room, garden, patio, fireside lounge area, game room, and library reading room.

Photos by Brian Seguin, Gary Walderman, and Chateau Pacific. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

The Fireside Lounge, restored to its usual warm, comfortable setting

Posted in Shows at Retirement Homes | Tagged: Chateau Pacific Retirement Community, cornet, Getzen Eterna Severinsen, Jupiter, musicals, pocket trumpet, retirement community, showtune, songs, Super Olds, trumpet | 2 Comments »

My “Things Remembered” Show at SHAG Retirement Community in Lynnwood

Posted by glennled on December 20, 2017

Glenn Ledbetter (background) plays trumpet and cornet in his one-hour show, “Things Remembered,” for SHAG’s Lynnwood City Center Senior Living residents

Last Saturday afternoon, 15 December 2017, about 45 people in a retirement community whom I’d never met came to hear me play trumpet. I had promised to perform a one-hour show for them, playing a mixture of 25 songs—12 Christmas songs and 13 songs from classic musicals and movies. I entitled my show “Things Remembered.”

I chose songs to induce them to remember different times and stages in their own lives. Here are some examples. One of the most beautiful songs ever written, “Over the Rainbow,” expresses our universal hopes and dreams about finding happiness and success, and “I’ve Got the World on a String” expresses our achievements of the same. But then, “Stormy Weather” expresses our feelings of failure and depression, while “Make Someone Happy” answers the question of how to make those Over-the-Rainbow dreams come true—love. For caring for babies, those helpless, totally dependent creatures we conceived, “Summertime” says it best.

The Christmas songs I played were to entice us to remember being a kid and later, having kids and grandkids. They tell us of the birth of our Savior. They renew our spirit, they spark new hopes and plans and joy and peace. My elderly audience sang the words from memory.

For thinking about retirement, I chose “When I’m Sixty-Four.” For feeling gratitude, I played “God Bless America.” For summing up our lives, I played the lovely, precious “What a Wonderful World,” and then finished with this earnest farewell, “Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas.”

Amongst the songs, I worked in a dozen jokes that I have shared this year with my 12-year old granddaughter, who last Christmas gave me a whole book of jokes. And I offered a handout to the audience—a list of 50 jokes and riddles from that same book, so that they could share them with their own grandchildren. All 30 copies disappeared.

I played both my Getzen trumpet (Doc Severinsen model) and Super Olds cornet (63 years old). Sometimes I used a Harmon mute, as in “Santa Baby.” When I use a deep-cup mouthpiece with the cornet, it sounds like a flugelhorn. I tried to make my horns sing the lyrics of those lovely songs.

Their kind gifts totaled $20, which I then donated to VFW Post 1040, Lynnwood, where I am the Post Bugler.

SHAG’s Lynnwood City Center Senior Living

Senior Housing Assistance Group (SHAG) is a non-profit organization formed in 1988 and is the largest provider of affordable senior apartment homes in Washington State. SHAG offers some units at market rates with no tenant-income restrictions, and others which are for tenants living on limited incomes. In compliance with state and federal laws, SHAG gladly accepts Section 8d and VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) certificates and vouchers.

SHAG communities serve more than 5,000 active, independent seniors in 25+ locations in the Puget Sound region, from Bellingham to Olympia, including eight locations in Seattle. These locations are near public transit hubs, retail shopping and public services.

All SHAG senior living communities have income and/or age restrictions that residents must meet in order to qualify for an apartment. The Lynnwood City Center Senior Living community serves seniors of all income levels who are 61 or older by the end of the current year or 55 or older and disabled. The minimum lease term is 6 months, if available, but leases are generally for 12 months. The units are 1- and 2-bedroom size. Certain units have washer/dryer hookups and reserved garage parking. However, you need not own a car to live here. If you qualify, you can join SHAG’s Nissan Leaf Program and drive a so-called “company car.” Many SHAG residents contract with in-home care providers for housekeeping and medical help.

Amenities at Lynnwood City Center include courtyards, a rooftop deck, fully equipped fitness center, social room and TV lounge, craft and game room, business center, pea patch, rooftop dog run, free Wi-Fi in common areas, and social activities. Small pets, such as cats or dogs weighing 25 lbs. or less, are welcome. There is a two-pet maximum per household, and a $100 fee per pet is due at move-in. All pets are subject to approval.

You can reach SHAG’s Lynnwood City Center at www.shaglynnwood.com and 425-201-5284. For SHAG itself, the website is http://www.housing4seniors.com, telephone 1-844-592-SHAG (7424).

Photos are courtesy of SHAG’s Lynnwood City Center. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

Posted in Shows at Retirement Homes | Tagged: bugler, cornet, Doc Severisnen, flugelhorn, Getzen, Harmon mute, horns, lyrics, mouthpiece, musicals, songs, Super Olds, trumpet | 6 Comments »

Busking for VFW at Edmonds Veterans Plaza

Posted by glennled on October 11, 2017

Glenn Ledbetter, busking at Veterans Plaza in Edmonds

The ad said that Saturday, 7 October, would be the last day this year for the Edmonds Museum Summer Market (see http://www.historicedmonds.org/summermarket). So I hustled down to the adjacent Veterans Plaza, set up my trumpet and cornet at about 10:30 a.m., and played for 1.5 hours until noon. It was the first time I’d done it since 1 July—my wife and I had traveled to Washington, D.C., Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England for most of July and August.

My repertoire of some 125 songs comes mostly from musicals and movies, plus patriotic songs. Kind and generous people came up to make donations and talk. Music brings out the best in us, doesn’t it? To me, that’s why God gave us beauty and spread so much artistic talent among all the nations and cultures on earth. I often ask my listeners, “What’s your favorite musical?” One woman said Hello, Dolly, so I played the title song. Another said Fiddler on the Roof, and I played “If I Were a Rich Man.” Sometimes I sing, too, just because it’s so much fun, not because I can sing well, believe me. I like to sing “O, What a Beautiful Morning,” “St. James Infirmary,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Shenandoah,” “When I Fall in Love,” “What a Wonderful World,” and a few others.

I raised $52 in that hour and a half. Then I gave half of it to VWF Post 8870 in Edmonds and VFW Post 1040 in Lynnwood, where I am the Post Bugler. Busking and teaching trumpet make me feel like Johnny Appleseed. Try it—you’ll like it, too.

Posted in Busking | Tagged: cornet, Fiddler on the Roof, Hello Dolly, movies, music, musicals, patriotic, repertoire, songs, teaching, trumpet, What a Wonderful Wrold | Leave a Comment »

“Taps” for Skyline’s Annual Memorial Walk in Seattle, Honoring Veterans

Posted by glennled on November 10, 2016

Skyline at First Hill is a Presbyterian retirement community in downtown Seattle near St. James Cathedral and Harborview Hospital. Between its two wings, one for independent living (Skyline Towers) and the other for assisted living (Skyline Terraces), is a courtyard. That’s where I stood in the rain on 2 November to sound “Taps” on my Getzen bugle after the responsive reading of “We Remember Them” by Sylvan Kamens and Rabbi Jack Riemer, which is found in the Jewish Prayer Book (please see http://hmd.org.uk/resources/poetry/we-remember-them-sylvan-kamens-rabbi-jack-riemer). Then “Taps” closed the second annual “Skyline Memorial Walk” ceremony hosted by Skyline’s chaplain, The Reverend Elizabeth Graham.

Earlier, the residents and staff of Skyline had been invited to submit the names of veterans and others whom they wished to be remembered in advance of Veterans Day, 11 November. Their names—about 200—were read aloud, interspersed with periodic bell ringing, before the audience. Twenty, mostly elderly people gathered in the Madrona Community Room: two men, 18 women, silent in their memories of their dear veterans of WWI, WWII, and every conflict since, and others.

The names were then written on individual placards staked into the fertile soil in the planters in the courtyard, where they remained for a week so that the residents, staff and guests could walk among them.

Isn’t it amazing? In place after place across the nation, around the world, year after year, our veterans are honored. The lowest, the highest, it matters not. To paraphrase a famous saying, when you put on the military uniform, whether on active duty, retired, or national guard or reserve, you write a blank check at that point in your life, made payable to “The United States of America,” for an amount of “up to and including your life.” Engraved on my bugle is a citation of the Biblical verse, John 15:13. We honor such men and women.

Rev. Graham found me through my membership in Bugles Across America (please see http://www.buglesacrossamerica.org/ and my post of 4 May 2015). I’m glad she did. I’m glad I played cornet through high school and college. I’m glad I teach private trumpet lessons. I’m glad I teach beginning brass at Skyview Jr. High School in Bothell. I’m glad I play trumpet in the Husky Alumni Band. I’m glad I play in the Alderwood Community Church Orchestra in Lynnwood. I’m glad I’m the VFW Post 1040 Bugler. All these things enable me to sound “Taps” for veterans every chance I get—it’s my honor, and I’m grateful. Lucky me.

Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

: Westward view from the courtyard, Skyline Retirement Community, Seattle

: Skyline Towers from the courtyard

: Skyline Terraces from the courtyard

Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: brass, bugle, bugler, Bugles Across America, cornet, Getzen, Husky Alumni Band, lessons, orchestra, Skyview Retirement Community, Taps, trumpet, veterans | Leave a Comment »

7th Annual Trumpet Recital in Edmonds, 18 June 2016

Posted by glennled on July 24, 2016

Photo by Nancy MacDonald

Three students performed at the 7th Annual Trumpet Recital in our home in Edmonds on 18 June, and three more were unable to attend. Of the performers, two are going into 8th grade next fall, and one is going into 9th grade. One began private trumpet lessons with me in December 2013, another in September 2014, and the third in February 2016. Selections included music by Elton John, Tim Rice, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, John Williams, Pat Ballard, Francoise Couperin, and John Kander. Popular pieces were Hedwig’s Theme, Cabaret, and When I’m 64.

After the performances, I gave a brief clinic and demonstration of the Herald Trumpet, English Bugle, Getzen Field Trumpet, Cornet, and Trumpet, so that the parents, relatives and friends in the audience could better appreciate the history and complexity of these instruments, as well as the difficulties which students must learn to control in order to master them. Refreshments were served after the recital.

Posted in Musical Events at Home, Recitals | Tagged: bugle, Caberet, clinic, cornet, English, Getzen, Hedwig's Theme, herald, instruments, lessons, recital, trumpet, When I'm 64 | Leave a Comment »

My New Cornet Student Is Only 81!

Posted by glennled on February 18, 2016

1PC-Evolution-font-b-Marching-b-font-Band-font-b-Trumpet-b-font-Player-Fashion-Waterproof Until now, I’ve never had a trumpet or cornet student who is older than I am! Holy cow, we’re 156 years old! Bob was born in 1934, and is my 26th student. We held his first lesson in his living room on 2 February.

He’s a fan of Joseph W. Marcinkiewicz, author of the instruction book, The Buzzone: The Art of Playing Efficiently and Comfortably. Marcinkiewicz advertises it on his website as “the definitive text for the brasswind player.” Well, blow me down! I had never heard of it. So I bought it. (You never stop learning.)

Bob played cornet all throughout grade school, high school and college but dropped it as he began his career, married, and raised his family. His love of music, especially classical, had convinced him to become a music educator, but he ultimately decided to become an engineer so that he could support his family at the lifestyle level he wanted to. In 1989, 27 years ago, he retired as an engineering manager from U S WEST, a Bell System Operating Company, and now lives with his wife in Snohomish. In retirement, it was time for Bob to do something different. That became travelling in a fifth-wheeler, consulting, listening to music, reading, studying, and today, tutoring mathematics at all levels.

Since college, Bob has been off the horn almost 60 years! Five to 10 years ago, he bought a Bach trumpet and played it for about a year, but its sound was too brilliant for his taste, so he got rid of it. Music gives him “mental stimulation and enjoyment,” he says, and now he wants to become a performer again, not just a listener. (Please see my article, “Hear ‘Your Brain on Music’ by Dr. Larry Sherman,” posted on 2 February 2012.)

Bob’s ambition is to play in a church orchestra by next fall. He has bought a Kanstul cornet, model 1530 (silver) with a 0.470″ bore. Bob’s dream would be someday to play

: Kanstul Bb Cornet, Model 1530

: Herman Bellstedt, Cornetist, Conductor and Composer (1858-1926)

: “The Buzzone” by J.W. Marcinkiewicz

“Napoli: Variations on a Neapolitan Song,” composed by Herman Bellstedt. The song on which the variations are based is “Funiculi, Funicula” by Luigi Denza in 1880. For a thrill and to appreciate the magnitude of Bob’s dream, copy this link and listen to Ole Edvard Antonsen play it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elo0SPMo6qg. Way to go, Bob—let’s roll!

Never having had private lessons before, Bob realizes that he won’t reach his goals without professional training. He chose me off one of the websites where I advertise myself as a trumpet and cornet tutor. Why cornet (which was very popular in the 19th century), when in the early 20th century, the whole world turned to the trumpet as the “instrument of choice?” Because that’s what he played all through school, and that’s the darker, smoother, mellower sonority that most pleases his ear. Bob remembers that in his school days, he used too much pressure on his mouth. After playing, the mouthpiece’s mark on his lips would stay there for hours. That led him to The Buzzone by Marcinkiewicz. Bob wants to strengthen the muscles in his embouchure so he won’t have to use such heavy pressure to reach the high notes—hard pressure will cut your stamina and endurance and can cause pain or injury.

Zigmant Kanstul launched Kanstul Musical Instruments in 1981. Located in Anaheim, California, one mile east of Disneyland, Kanstul’s 36 craftsmen manufacture a complete line of brass musical instruments. To view Bob’s new cornet, please see http://kanstul.net/detail.php?pass_search=1530.0000&pass_instrument=Cornet.

Marcinkiewicz Co., Inc. makes hand-crafted trumpets, cornets, flugelhorns, trombones, and several unique horns such as pocket and piccolo trumpets, as well as mouthpieces for them all. The factory is in Canby, Oregon. See http://www.marcinkiewicz.com.

Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

Posted in New Students - Intro Posts | Tagged: brasswind, Buzzone, cornet, flugelhorn, Herman Bellstedt, Kanstul Musical Instruments, lesson, Marcinkiewicz Co. Inc., mouthpiece, Napoli, orchestra, piccolo, pocket, sonority, tone, training, trumpet, tutor | Leave a Comment »

2015 Wreaths Across America–“Never Forget”

Posted by glennled on February 5, 2016

“Never Forget”

On this same day at this same hour of every year, the same ceremony is conducted in more than 900 locations across America and around the world—wreaths are placed on graves in military cemeteries on the second Saturday of December. It is called Wreaths Across America (WAA) and is an outgrowth of the Arlington Wreath Project, started in 1992. As the popular ceremony spread across the country, WAA was formed in 2007.

Here in Seattle, the theme of the 6th annual ceremony was “Never Forget.” Michael G. Reagan, famed artist of the “Fallen Heroes Project,” was the Keynote Speaker. Reagan was awarded the Citizen Service Before Self Honor (known to some as The Civilian Medal of Honor) on 25 March 2015 by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation in Arlington, VA.

The local ceremony was held at Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery, Evergreen-Washelli, on 12 December. Six military Medal of Honor recipients are buried there. The Navy Wives Club of America (NWCA), Totem 277, led by Donna Turner and Crystal Wilkerson, started hosting this event in 2010. Lorraine Zimmerman is the club’s WAA project leader and site coordinator for Everygreen-Washelli. Totem 277’s territory is from Seattle to Burlington.The primary element of the annual ceremony is the ceremonial wreath dedication by representatives of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, and POW/MIAs.

“Never Forget”–William W. Wilson, former POW, places flag on wreath, followed by hand salute. Photo by Jacque Hodgen.

Zimmerman introduced the POW/MIA representative with these moving words: “William (Bill) W. Wilson, former Prisoner of the Vietnam War, made 33 missions over NVN and Laos, flying an F-111 before being shot down while bombing the Red River docks in downtown Hanoi on 22 December 1972. He evaded capture for a week, was nearly rescued by a Super Jolly Green helicopter, and then was captured by the North Vietnamese on 29 December. He spent a month in the ‘Heartbreak” section of the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ before being moved to the ‘Zoo.’ He returned to U.S. control on the last C-141A out of Hanoi on 29 March 1973 during Operation Homecoming. Bill will now place a flag [on the POW/MIA wreath] in honor of the more than 83,000 United States Servicemen from all branches of the service whose last known status was either Prisoner of War or Missing in Action. These individuals have never returned to their families and homes. We will not forget you.”

Among the many voluntary participants was the VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard. As Post Bugler, I played “Assembly” on my Super Olds cornet at 9 a.m. as Zimmerman issued the Call to Order and the 62nd Airlift Wing Air Force Honor Guard presented the colors. To close the ceremony, the VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard fired a perfect rifle salute, and I sounded “Taps.” Afterwards, participants and audience members placed wreaths on numerous tombstones in the cemetery.

For more information, please see:

http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/
http://www.navywivesclubsofamerica.org/
http://www.washelli.com/
http://www.fallenheroesproject.org/
http://www.cmohfoundation.org/
http://www.dpaa.mil/
http://vfw1040.org/
http://www.mcchord.af.mil/units/index.asp
My previous posts on WAA on this blog dated 16 December 2011, 9 January 2013, and 28 April 2015.

One photo below is by Geoffrey T. Lewis. All others are by Jacque Hodgen. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

: “Never Forget”

: VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard

: Glenn Ledbetter, VFW Post 1040 Bugler. Photo by Geoffrey T. Lewis

: 62nd Airlift Wing Air Force Color Guard

: “Never Forget”

: “Never Forget”

: “Never Forget”

Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: Assembly, bugler, cornet, Fallen Heroes Project, Honor Guard, MIA, Michael G Reagan, Navy Wives Clubs of America, Post 1040, POW, Super Olds, Taps, VFW | Leave a Comment »

High School Band Day at Husky Stadium—UW vs. Idaho State

Posted by glennled on May 27, 2014

UW Director of Athletic Bands, Dr. Brad McDavid

On 21 September 2013, the University of Washington Husky Marching Band, under the direction of Dr. Brad McDavid, hosted its annual “Band Day.” In 2013, the Husky Marching Band, created in 1929, commenced its 84th season.

Selected high school bands from all over the state performed in the second home football game held in the newly renovated Husky Stadium in Seattle. The Huskies beat the Bengals of Idaho State University, 56-0, and as a member of the Husky Alumni Band, I got to play my 59-year old Super Olds cornet again. I’m of the UW Class of 1962.

The photos below were taken by Louis Figueroa (ground level) and Garry Nakayama (press box level). Please click on any photo to enlarge it.