Army Spirit bivouacs in Rochester, N.Y.

By Tom Mani, MDW Public AffairsSeptember 11, 2008

Call it a task force. They have planned, programmed, trained and coordinated, developed courses of action and hit all their marks along the way. Their mission is one of the best in the Military District of Washington's set, and they execute like the Soldiers they are.

In a couple days they will stage Spirit of America at the Blue Cross Arena here in downtown Rochester.

The arena sits on the west bank of the Genesee River, the river that drove this city's industry for two centuries, and is flanked to the north by the Erie Canal, which brought those products east to the Hudson and west to Buffalo and Lake Erie. This is an "All-America City," named so most recently in 1998, as proud of its sons and daughters who have served in the military whose history the show celebrates.

A war memorial in the arena's north wing is "dedicated to the men and women of greater Rochester who died for their country, on land or sea or in the air."

Drawing together memorials from the World War, World War II and Vietnam, its words echo the sentiment that Soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) and the United States Army Band "Pershing's Own" bring to the show the will perform here:.

"Americans by birth or adoption, most of all by devotion, rich in the joys and hopes and talents they sacrificed richer still in honor and freedom so nobly maintained, whose courage and faith laid deep foundations for peace.

"These sons and daughters, neighbors, friends, whose noblest motive was the public good, They are not lost who are remembered, nor dead whose work transcends their time, whose fulfillment we in God's grace may share."

The live-action multimedia show showcases some of the Army's best performing units in a review that captures moments of the nation's history where the call to duty was answered in the most dire of times. From Valley Forge through the Civil War and the faceoffs of the 20th century, defeating fascism and communism and responding to extranational threats, Soldiers of the Old Guard take part in tableaux that distill the essence of duty, service and honor.

But first they had to get to this city from Washington, D.C., with all the personnel and materiel to stage a show comparable to the Super Bowl halftime shows that the contracted production company has put together the past eight years.

"This is when it all comes together," Mark Murray, the show's writer and longtime executive producer, said from the arena floor Tuesday.

The 2008 Spirit of America was written in the spring, production contract let, parts assigned and read-throughs and rehearsals conducted. The three weeks of rehearsals at the DC Armory ended Friday and the movement toward Rochester begun.

Some 300 of the MDW's Soldiers, a few civilians and over a hundred production crew are needed and all but 70 local stagehands had to travel.

Most of the gear had not been previously assembled. Equipment vehicles for the producton equipment include 10 tractor trailers, two each lighting, audio, scenery and mobile TV trucks, plus individual rigging and video projection trucks and a truck to carry the 750 cushioning panels used to cover the arena floor.

Lighting, sound, video, rigging, trucking and scenic crews hired by the production company, Eggs & Bacon, Inc., brought their equipment and skills to Rochester for "tech in" with the show elements, syncing the elements and getting the tons of lighting and audio gear, chain hoists and 14 computers set up to control the show.

Soldiers from Alpha Company, the one Old Guard element stationed at Fort McNair rather than Fort Myer, boarded buses Monday morning for the drive to Rochester. A four-horse van and accompanying truck were already on the road with the horses and riders from the Caisson Platoon,

"We got here around 2 o'clock," Spc. Patrick Serfling said. A paddock set up near the load in/load out arena doors was set up with tarps, Homasote panels and wood chips and hay for footing, bedding.and snacking.

Serfling said the horses - Wyatt, Klinger and Clyde -among the Caisson's best tempered - are fed twice a day with a commercially prepared diet and moderately exercised. "They're spoiled," Serfling said of the sleek animals.

The Army Drill Team began their first full day in Rochester with a quick rehearsal and a trip into the community to demonstrate their drill routines to JROTC cadets at the ROTC cadets at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

More outreach events, interviews with TV, radio and newspaper reporters, a mayoral proclamation of Spirit of America Day on Sept. 12 lay ahead for the Soldiers, particularly those whose hometown is the Rochester area, like Staff Sgt. Jason Seifert.

Seifert, the Army's 2007 NCO of the Year, entered the Army in after graduation from Victor High School in nearby Farmington. He has been with the Old Guard since before the attack on the Pentagon seven years ago, and was called there as part of a detail to assist in the recovery effort. He was not yet 20 years old.

"We're extremely proud of him," Kim Molampy an employee of the Blue Cross Arena, said while securing her security badge for the event. She recalled Seifert as much thinner, a slight linebacker on the school football team. "He's bigger and stronger now." Molampy graduated with Seifert's older brother, and added that everyone has been pleased "to see him excel like he has."

Before the dress rehearsals begin, the producers pull together the technical aspects of the show, blocking movements, miking performers, conducting soundchecks. These "tech-ins" will be followed by a series of rehearsals, including two dress rehearsals the day before the show.

Blue Cross arenas hallways teem with performers and musicians. Soldiers march with Brown Bess muskets and violinists practicing glissandos vie with horn players warming up with scales and bits of melody.

The show is in a couple days. There is still a lot to do.