Recordings I'd like to share with you.
For the past 11 years, I have had the great blessing of meeting and then eventually sharing breakfasts with Survivors from Bataan & Corregidor. Since it's beyond-words-meaning is impossible to "blog" or share in any short and impersonal way, I stay quiet. Write Music. Recently, the last of our Breakfast Veterans let us go. Over the years, I have had the great and humbling honour of playing TAPS at their services. For Turk Turner, I took TAPS as it was rendered within THAT WE MIGHT LIVE, and followed it with Reveille. If you have the chance to use this recording in honour of our Veterans... please feel free to make use of it. That is why it was written.
Cue 1M2: Ship Out of Control, from AURORA
TAPS from TWML
STAR!
THOSE WHO SERVE
HYMN
to the MARINES
HYMN
to the MARINES FILM (QT) a "visual scoring" by F.A.F.
HYMN
to the MARINES
by Jacques Offenbach @ 1895
arranged as #947, Musical Haiku #28 by
© Stephen Melillo IGNA 27 February 2007
2:33PM in Baghdad, as the sun rose in Virginia
SPECIAL
GIFTS for the MARINES only
(send email for passwords)
Please
forgive the compressed MIDI version of this Music.
Someday, we'll
do it right...
In the meantime turn up those speakers and play it Big!
Yesterday,
I was treated to a call from Baghdad. It was Michael Ashby, a Marine
serving in Iraq. The call lasted 33 minutes (yes, it's true.)
"Mike,
please tell me what I can do for you and all your buddies. Maybe
there's something I can put on the website, some sort of Thank You
note?"
"Steve,
one day... well, could you please do an arrangement of the Marine
Hymn."
"Funny
you should say that, Mike. I always wanted to do one... you know,
like Star,
like God Bless America...
not typical marches, but "love" songs."
"That's
exactly what we want. That would be so cool."
"Why,
Mike?
"Because
we put our Hearts into what we do. They're not just jobs. We're
passionate about our work. We are leaving so much of ourselves
behind for everybody." Michael Ashby, Marine.
Dear
US Marines... inspired not only by Michael, but each and every one
of you, Past, Present and Future... here is a small expression of
my love, admiration and respect for you and what you do in the
name of Freedom. I have a Son who was born 24 minutes before the
first building was hit on 11 September 2001, and I know that what
you do today... may just save my Son from doing it tomorrow. Thank
you for your Bravery. Thank you for your Courage and sacrifice. We get it and we appreciate it. Hopefully, in this
small "tribute", you'll find a sentiment you can relate
to. Godspeed!
Steve
Reactions from Marines below...