Patriotic one-man show receives standing ovation

By Melony Gabbert, Fort Riley Public AffairsFebruary 3, 2012

Patriotic one-man show receives standing ovation
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Fort Riley Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Colvin Bennett Sr., left, looks on while Garrison Commander Col. William Clark, right, congratulates actor James McEachin, center, following McEachin's performance of his one-man play, "Above the Call, Beyond the... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Patriotic one-man show receives standing ovation
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Patriotic one-man show receives standing ovation
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – From left to right, Dick Young, president, Fort Riley Retiree Council and a retired command sergeant major; Fort Riley Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Colvin Bennett Sr; Maj. Barry Stewart, lead, Fort Riley FREE Program; and actor James McEachin have a di... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. -- James McEachin, an 82-year-old with more than 150 film and television credits, gave a performance lasting about two hours and received a standing ovation Jan. 20 at the C.L. Hoover Opera House.

"Above the Call, Beyond the Duty," a one-man play written by McEachin, has received rave reviews for several years, and his performance attended by many "Big Red One" Soldiers was no different.

"He really touched me. I was recently wounded, (medically evacuated) June 6. (McEachin's performance) was awesome," said Staff Sgt. Jimmy Sanders, 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Heavy Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.

Pfc. Chinao Fletcher, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 97th Military Police Battalion, called the performance "very, very inspirational."

The show follows the format of an old Soldier, recently deceased, making his way to the presence of God. The material for the show comes from McEachin's life experiences.

Although McEachin said he makes changes to the show consistently, courage, fear, racism, integration, suicide, religion, military history, killing and peace are all addressed.

The manner in which the show came to be is a tale of its own, he said.

McEachin signed up to fight in the Korean War with a "Let me at 'em attitude," he said, and couldn't wait to get to the front line. But, while serving in the war, McEachin was near fatally wounded and left for dead, only to be carried to safety by an unknown blonde Soldier. McEachin had been shot and had shrapnel in his stomach and leg, but he was one of two Soldiers to survive the battle in which he was wounded.

The Korean War veteran, who received a Purple Heart and a Silver Star, said he got as far away from the Army as he could after his six years of service.

McEachin said he then felt guilty, especially after visiting naval hospitals for his war wounds and seeing veterans, even through memories of the war, revisit him.

After becoming an actor, McEachin was asked to speak at the 50th anniversary ceremony for the Korean War in 2000. He was given a speech by the Department of Defense to deliver, but he didn't like it, he said, so he decided to write his own, adding the speech "really went over well."

From that speech, the seed for "The Old Soldier" character of his one-man show was born, he said.

McEachin asked for and received advice from friend, Hal Holbrook, known for portraying Mark Twain in a one-man show. The advice helped a lot, he said.

McEachin debuted the show at the Kennedy Center and has since performed the play in major cities, on Wall Street and on posts nationwide. He also developed pieces from it as stand alone's and has used those for events like the christening of the USS Green Bay and the USS Michael Murphy. The latter was named after a Medal of Honor winner.

Additionally, McEachin has been requested to perform a selection for the launching of the USS Michael Murphy. President Barack Obama, actor Gary Sinise and others will be in attendance. McEachin said it was a huge honor to be requested by Murphy's father.

McEachin was so touched, he said, he worked Murphy into his play, detailing similarities between the ship's namesake and his own lieutenant in Korea.

McEachin continues to perform the show because he believes in it, he said, adding "the country could use something to pay tribute to veterans."

The feeling McEachin said he wants audience members to take away from the performance is "the importance of the people who have served this country."

"The country has messed up in a lot of ways, but it is still the greatest country," he said. "The spirit, the hope (and) the dreams of America are pure and honest. There is a magnificence of the United States of America."

Before presenting Mc-Eachin with a plaque of appreciation, Fort Riley Garrison Commander Col. William Clark commended McEachin for understanding what it is like to be a service member and for serving his country.

"You are one of us … you understand duty … we know and understand what you are telling us," Clark said. "Thank you for serving our country."