Gary to Participate in National Memorial Day Parade
Gary is scheduled to participate in the 2008 National Memorial Day Parade, Monday, May 26th in Washington, D.C. The parade steps off at the corner of Constitution and 7th Streets NW at 2:00 p.m. Please see here for more information about the parade route and schedule of events.
For additional information about the parade in general as well as photos from last year’s parade, please see National Memorial Day Parade.
Gary, as Honorary Grand Marshal, is pictured below with wounded service members serving as Grand Marshals of the 2007 National Memorial Day Parade.
Thanks to the generosity of Sinisefan Ellen C. we have a much better quality video of the Lt. Dan Band performing at Joe’s Bar on May 2nd. Ellen was seated very close to the stage and directly in front of Gary and Jeff, so it is definitely worth a look. Gary’s expressions while playing bass are priceless!
Also, Glenda has kindly provided photos of Gary from the performance that night.
Thanks again to both Ellen and Glenda for sharing their video and photographs!
Earlier today, Gary and the Lt. Dan Band performed at the 4th Annual America Supports You Military Tribute Concert at the Pentagon Courtyard.
There are a couple articles recapping the event, but some of the better ones can be found at DoD-American Forces Press Service, America Supports You, and Stars and Stripes. The Stars and Stripes article includes a five minute video wherein Gary talks about returning to Iraq this summer and the band heading to Germany, the United Kingdom and Netherlands in June as well as two snippets from the show.
The Department of Defense has posted some photos of the event here, but be sure to have a look at the terrific (evidence below) concert shots in the photo essay.
On May 2nd, Gary and the Lt. Dan Band performed at Joe’s Bar in Chicago. This benefit concert was open to the public and proceeds went to the United States Vietnam Arts Program. The USVAP and Lt. Dan Band co-founder Kimo Williams (a Vietnam veteran) and his ensemble Kimotion were selected to perform at the International Hue Festival in Hue Vietnam June 1st through June 5th. Read more about Kimo’s upcoming visit to Vietnam at USVAP and more about Kimotion here.
We have photos from the Joe’s concert (and the Steppenwolf Gala) which will be posted soon. A big thank you to Glenda for those once again this year.
In the meantime, there are two videos from the concert (thanks to youtube). The first is the band performing “Baba O’Riley;” the second is primarily Jeff Vezain’s performance of ”Smooth.” The audio is not the best (especially for “Smooth”), but these might be enjoyable for those who have not been to a Lt. Dan Band show - yet.
Gary and Joe Mantegna will be hosting the National Memorial Day Concert on May 25, 2008. PBS broadcasts this event; check your local PBS station for listings, or visit PBS.org.
Gary Among 2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor Recipients
Gary will receive one of the 2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor awards given by the National Ethnic Coalition (NECO) this evening in New York City. This award is presented to ”outstanding Americans who have distinguished themselves as citizens of the United States and have enabled their ancestry groups to maintain their identities while becoming integral parts of American life.”
The annual award ceremony takes place at Ellis Island and is followed by a gala reception in Ellis Island’s Great Hall. Fireworks in New York Harbor will cap off the evening.
Read more about the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and past recipients here. A list of the 2008 recipients is available here.
Read more about Gary (including comments and a nice CSI NY photo) in an article by Richard Huff in today’s Daily News.
Variety reports that Gary will narrate Discovery Channel’s six-hour miniseries ”When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions.” (Some of you may recall that Gary previously narrated ”Inside the Space Shuttle” for Discovery in 1998.)
This special series marks NASA’s 50th anniversary. John Ford, Discovery Channel’s prexy general manager, is quoted in the Variety piece: “The story of NASA is really America’s story — people coming together with grit, audaciousness and determination. Gary’s stirring but straightforward narration conveys that perfectly.”
“When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions” airs Sunday, June 8, at 9 p.m. and continues over the following two Sundays (June 15 and 22).
