Inside this issue:

The chapter and chorus meet  every Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. at the First Methodist Church Activity Center
on the corner of Poyntz and  6th Street, Manhattan, Kansas.

Bulletin is published by the Manhattan Kansas Chapter and Chorus

Little

Apple Chorus singing to the Veterans at the American Legion

     The Little Apple Chorus revisited the Manhattan American Legion on the evening of  November 11, 2009.  Ken Lang directed 38 chorus members, decked out in Stars and Stripes, singing Patriotic Songs to a receptive audience of Veterans and Active Duty Soldiers.  Along with the Patriotic Songs the Chorus also performed the two Contest Songs from their competition in Lincoln, Nebraska in October.  Many of the LAC members are Veterans and at least four of them can still fit into their uniforms.  Proudly wearing the uniform were two retired Soldiers and two retired Airmen.  Next year there will be an “open ranks inspection” the week before the performance.

     This year marks the 91^st Anniversary of ARMISTICE DAY.  The armistice to end “The War to End All Wars”, World War I, was signed on the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month of 1918.  One year later

Pres. Woodrow Wilson declared that Nov. 11^th  would be recognized as “Armistice Day”.  In 1938 it became a legal Holiday.  Al King, a shoe store owner in Emporia, Ks, thought that the day should be used to recognize all Veterans not just the ones from WW I.  That was in 1953 and on May 26, 1954 Pres. Dwight Eisenhower declared the name changed to  “VETERANS DAY”.

     The “Day” sort of lost some of it’s glory after the Vietnam Era.  It remained a solemn occasion to Vets and their families but the general public seemed to view it as just another Federal Holiday.  “Desert Storm” changed that in 1991.  After September. 11^th, 2001 and the deployment of US Troops to the Middle East the Day has taken on an even more important significance to the Citizens of the United States.

     This morning I attended the Veterans Day Program at Maple Hill Grade School.  My two granddaughters, Kindergarten and 3^rd Grade,

asked me to come to their performance.  Their Mommy, our oldest daughter, deployed to

continued on page 5

 

Veterans Day 2009

John Thomason, Senior Master

Sgt. (USAF retired)

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