Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Concert
In honor of the 80-year anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day, Soli Deo Gloria Concert Band held a concert in the auditorium at WLHS on Tuesday, December 7, to recreate one of the last known concerts played by the USS Arizona band on August 30, 1941. Wisco student Emily Wendorf ('24) had the opportunity to play clarinet with the band. "When we think of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, it's common to honor the soldiers, however, this concert was a good opportunity to remember other military such as the bandsmen." Included in the concert's program, the names of the 21 USS Arizona bandsmen were read.
Taps was played, and the National Anthem sung. "Most people know Francis Scott Key's arrangement of the 'Star-Spangled Banner.' At this concert, though, it was fun to play William F. Santelmann's version, which is what they would have played on the USS Arizona that day," says Wendorf.
Only moments before they were poised to play the crisp notes of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” Navy Band No. 22 found itself amidst an unprecedented event – an aerial attack on an American naval base. Bandmembers dropped their instruments and implemented their training as ammunition handlers and gunpowder ferriers.
This dedicated group of WELS musicians includes members of our WLHS high school band and alumni under the leadership of Dr. Patricia Backhaus. The concert was a service project for the Lutheran Military Support Group, a non-profit organization providing Christ-centered support to WELS/ELS military service members, veterans, and their families.
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Only moments before they were poised to play the crisp notes of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” Navy Band No. 22 found itself amidst an unprecedented event – an aerial attack on an American naval base. Bandmembers dropped their instruments and implemented their training as ammunition handlers and gunpowder ferriers.
This dedicated group of WELS musicians includes members of our WLHS high school band and alumni under the leadership of Dr. Patricia Backhaus. The concert was a service project for the Lutheran Military Support Group, a non-profit organization providing Christ-centered support to WELS/ELS military service members, veterans, and their families.
