Spirit of America returns Sept. 11-12

By Military District Washington Public AffairsAugust 11, 2009

Army Fife & Drum Corps
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Aug. 11, 2009) -- For the first time since 2005, Spirit of America, the highly visual, live-action Army show that celebrates the spirit, strength and history of the country and the American Soldier returns to National Capital Region Sept. 11 and 12 at George Mason Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va.

Spirit of America will also perform in Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 18-19, and Providence, R.I., Sept. 25-26.

"The free tickets are going fast", said Debbie Lewis, Spirit of America marketing chief.

Three of the four scheduled performances in Virginia are at capacity and no more tickets will be issued, but a limited number of tickets are still available for the Friday, 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets for Sept. 11 can be secured by contacting the Patriot Center at <a href="http://www.patriotcenter.com">www.partriotcenter.com.</a>

Lewis encourages patrons with tickets to use them or give them to someone who can. "We want all who wish to attend to be able to do so."

More than 300 Soldiers will bring history to life with this year's Spirit of America performance. Told by today's Soldiers, Spirit of America captures the true stories of those who have answered the call to duty.

The NCR performance dates and times: 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 11, and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12. Performances are two hours long, including a 15-minute intermission.

The show features the Army Band "Pershing's Own," and Soldiers from the Old Guard of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army. Elements of The Old Guard include the Fife and Drum Corps, the Caisson Platoon, the Commander-in-Chief's Guard and the Army Drill Team.

For more details and show footage, visit the Spirit of America Website at: <a href="http://www.soa.mdw.army.mil">www.soa.mdw.army.mil.</a>