FORT DRUM, N.Y. (May 28, 2015) -- When Jason Gould and his Family settled in to watch the 2015 U.S. Army Soldier Show on May 20 at Magrath Sports Complex, it was their 15th year in attendance and his first as an Army retiree.
"It's a Family tradition," Gould said. "Wherever it comes, we just enjoy the show."
In its 32nd year of modern production, this current Soldier Show cast made the sixth stop in their 60-show international tour at Fort Drum and performed a "We Serve" themed show, which featured music and dance numbers that focused on the "Soldier for Life" aspect.
"The 2015 U.S. Army Soldier show honors our Army's continued service, resilience and strength with its mission to effectively inform, educate and inspire our audiences into action," said Lt. Gen. David Halverson, commander of Installation Management Command. "It celebrates this great nation, our Army, and the Families and communities that serve and support service members in return."
The show had several covers to include an emotional rendition of "I Drive Your Truck" by Spc. Brianna Walker, of Fort Campbell, Ky.
Many of the other sets were original numbers that honored service members, past and present. In between the sets, the audience watched prerecorded interviews with veterans from past wars.
At the end of the show, the all-Army cast members closed with "The Army Goes Rolling Along" as many of the audience members joined in, and when the cast identified themselves and the units they came from, the audience cheered for the ones from Fort Drum.
This year's cast included two performers and one crewmember with the 10th Mountain Division (LI).
Spc. Guy Gahungu, an aircraft electrician with D Company, 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, joined this year's team by earning a spot when he auditioned during the 2014 U.S. Army Soldier Show performance at Fort Drum last year. He joined the team at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, in January.
"Coming back to Fort Drum … I kind of felt like I was coming home, even though it's not really my home," he said reflecting on the audience's reaction at the end of their show. "When (Col. Michael C. McCurry) said my name, it was kind of cool."
Spc. Elise Baldwin, a medic assigned to C Company, 710th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Polk, La., said her first trip to Fort Drum is a "big deal."
"I am proud to be in the 10th Mountain Division," she said. "It's a brotherhood you don't know until you get up here."
Staff Sgt. Michael Rice, from Fort Drum, serves as the group's bus driver. Rice, who is from Buffalo, worked as a school bus driver in his hometown before enlisting in the Army.
The cast and crew came out to greet, take photos with and sign autographs for audience members.
As they continue this year's tour, they will travel around the continental U.S. and overseas, including forward locations such as Afghanistan. The tour will close at the end of November, and the Soldiers will come back to join their units.
McCurry went on stage to thank the U.S. Army Soldier Show cast and crew for their performance and presented them with an appreciation plaque.
"I'd like to thank the U.S. Army Soldier Show (cast) for showing their amazing talents," McCurry said. "This year's 'We Serve' show reminds us, (whoever) you are, to do your part for the nation."
The Goulds, who decided to stay in the North Country after retirement, said they look forward to next year's show, as they tend to get better and better.
"I think this year's was the best of all of them," said Mae Gould. "It was really emotional for me."
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