Be part of the
Red, White and Blue Ridge PBS
Day of Honor
Pictured (l to r): Former Sgt. Daniel Jens, Former Sgt. David Clemo,
Former Cpt. Meredith Melcher, and Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Ron Henry.
Sunday, December 5 2:30
p.m.
4 TROOPS Concert
Roanoke Performing Arts Theater
Join Blue Ridge PBS in honoring our veterans,
those who currently serve in the U.S military and their families. Enjoy
the outstanding television concert, 4TROOPS: Live from the Intrepid on
Tuesday, September 14 at 7:00pm, and make your plans to be at the
Roanoke performance in December.
Our host for the event will be
Maj. Gen. (ret.) Jerrold P. Allen, Commandant of the Virginia Tech
Corps of Cadets, with members of the Corps participating in
pre-concert activities. |
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Maj. Gen. (ret.)
Jerrold P. Allen |
Virginia Tech Corps
of Cadets |
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Additionally, the event will
include a special "Welcome home" greeting for soldiers and family members
of the 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, based in Lynchburg
which recently returned from Iraq. The battalion completed 278 convoy
escort missions traveling more than 172,300 miles, transporting in excess
of 120 million gallons of fuel and 900 thousand short tons of supplies
without any injuries. Convoy escort teams reacted to 22 enemy attacks from
small arms fire, indirect fire and IED detonations. The battalion has had
soldiers deployed in every major conflict since the World War I, where
they earned the motto "Ever Forward" on the battlefields of France. The
unit is widely recognized as one of the most important participants in the
historic D-Day landing at Normandy, with those who participated in the invasion
earning the nickname of "The Bedford Boys."
4TROOPS--a new pop vocal group
made up of United States combat veterans who served on the front lines in
Iraq and Afghanistan--will be performing in this region for the first
time. Their playlist includes traditional patriotic music ("You're A Grand
Old Flag," "America the Beautiful"), contemporary patriotic tunes
("Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue"), interpretations of established
hits ("Galveston," "Dance With My Father"), and new songs that pay tribute
to those who serve our country. |
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The Red, White and
Blue Ridge PBS Day of Honor
is made possible in part by the generous support of |
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Make your pledge
for the best seats in the house--exclusive to Blue Ridge PBS! |
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Concert
information for 4TROOPS |
| Date:
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Sunday,
December 5, 2010 |
| Times:
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2:30 p.m. |
| Venue:
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Roanoke
Performing Arts Theatre at the Roanoke Civic Center |
| Tickets:
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For a
pledge of $80, our thank you gift is one concert ticket to
4TROOPS-best seats in the house, based on the order in which calls
are made. |
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| About the members of 4TROOPS
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Former Sgt.
Daniel Jens, a native of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was attracted to becoming a musician/singer
after seeing Elvis and The Beatles perform and hearing the adoring
screams of their female fans. He was inspired to join the Army and
serve his country after the events of 9/11. In October of 2007 he
deployed to Iraq with the 1st Cavalry Division as a crew member of the
Field Artillery Cannon. Jens sang at everything from Prayer Breakfasts
to Talent Nights at the U.S. Embassy. Upon his return, Daniel went on
to become one of the top twenty acts in season three of America's Got
Talent. |
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Former Cpt.
Meredith Melcher spent four
years in the Army as an officer in the Medical Service Corps where she
was deployed in support of the first Operation Iraqi Freedom. While on
the front lines of Iraq her ambulance platoon successfully evacuated
hundreds of injured Americans and Iraqis to higher levels of medical
treatment. Upon her return, she was cast in the 2004 U.S. Army Soldier
Show and performed for audiences of military personnel and civilians
worldwide. |
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Staff Sgt.
(Ret.) Ron Henry retired from
the Army after a twenty-year military career; his last seven years
were spent traveling unprotected roads in Iraq in the dangerous
position of Transporter and Transportation Manager. Influenced by
Gospel music, Ron delivered stellar performances in the first season
of Military Idol, a show that featured military contestants in the
popular American Idol format. He went on to lead the successful Army
singing group "Transportation Express," lifting the morale of those
families whose military parents were serving multiple deployments back
to back. |
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Former Sgt.
David Clemo - who was in Basic
Training, getting his first ID on 9/11 - initially deployed to
Afghanistan where he provided communications support for major
logistics and fire bases. His second deployment, from November 2004,
was as a team chief for communications and fiber optic cable
installations in Iraq. Following that, David spent a number of
fulfilling years as Assistant Director of the U.S. Army Soldier Show,
touring and entertaining his fellow soldiers and their families. |
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