JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - The middle stop of the 2014 Spirit of America tour is being highly-anticipated by The U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps snare drummer Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Paul Hirt.
Hirt was raised in East Greenbush, N.Y., a suburb of Albany, and the veteran of over 10 Spirit of America trips will receive the privilege of playing in front of the hometown folks. The half week reunion culminates for Hirt with four shows on Sept. 19 and 20 at Albany's Times Union Center.
"Basically, most of my family and friends are up there. This is my last chance to perform for that many people from my family," he said before an Aug. 12 Spirit of America practice. "I'll be performing for people I haven't seen for years. The last time I saw some of them, I was doing this as a hobby. Now this is my job as part of a professional group. They saw me when I left when I was 19, and now they will see me perform for the first time."
Spirit of America is a living history show of the Army's heritage and combines music, precision drills and historical reenactments. The show's talent resides inside the Military District of Washington - specifically Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall and includes the Continental Color Guard, Commander-in-Chief's Guard, Caisson Platoon, The U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, The U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" and The U.S. Army Drill Team.
Tickets are free and available to the general public. To check for ticket availability, go to www.spiritofamerica.mdw.army.mil/ticketing.
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