Heritage of America Band celebrates Constitution Day in Colonial Williamsburg

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. --  More than 3,000 people came out to hear the Air Force Heritage of America Band perform at Merchants Square in Colonial Williamsburg Sept. 17 as part of the Constitution Day event,"To Support and Defend." 

The band, including two members of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Band, played alongside Williamsburg's Colonial Fifes and Drums in commemoration of the day the U.S. Constitution was signed in 1787. 

"We take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution," said Ray Landon, Heritage of America Band director of operations. "We wanted to tie in our military oath, which includes those words, 'support and defend,' with a Constitution Day event." 

Mr. Landon said the band plays a unique role in informing the American people about the Air Force and what it does around the world. 

"We have music that has its own international language," he said. "It's not word-based. Some of the music we performed last night and every community outreach event we do has music that people naturally associate with the military. We do the armed services medley, and we did a piece called 'The Last Full Measure of Devotion,' and that piece talks about the sacrifice military members make, including the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our Constitution and our country." 

It's Mr. Landon's hope that people who hear the band play at free events like "To Support and Defend" will have a better understanding of the military and the sacrifices its members have made throughout history. 

"They should walk away with a sense of pride in their country and their Air Force," he said. "They should be reminded that the Constitution is a document that surpasses political ideas. We honor the Constitution by serving our nation, and we appreciate them taking the time to be with us while we do that." 

The band performs free concerts across the region throughout the year. The next free event will be the Salute to Veterans performance at Chrysler Hall in Norfolk Nov. 6.