Marlen Mendoza: Patriotic Concert opened eyes and wallets
As secretary of the Atwater High School Band, I am proud to have been a part of the Patriotic Concert we hosted April 22. The concert was to honor veterans for their courageous effort and service to this country. A goal was also to raise money for our Central Valley Honor Flight program which uses donations to send veterans to the WWII Memorial in Washington D.C. It was a very important event for the band, and especially for the band’s conductor, Norm Caulkins.
Throughout the evening, we played all the service melodies for each military branch and asked all those currently serving or who have served to stand and be recognized. A veteran even played “Taps” with a bugle that dated back to WWI. The night ended with generous donations to the Honor Flight. Atwater High School, Elk and American Legion, and the Merced county community raised over $6,000.
It was a magical night. Our veterans are not appreciated as often as they should be. What these soldiers did, and are doing, is miraculous. This concert helped open the community’s eyes to all the heroes right here in Merced County.
Marlen Mendoza, Atwater
This story was originally published April 29, 2015 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Marlen Mendoza: Patriotic Concert opened eyes and wallets."