The Harrison High School Marching Band was New York State’s representative in this year’s Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 7.
As one of only 15 bands invited to attend, the Huskies were honored to perform an outdoor concert at the Pearl Harbor Memorial site overlooking the USS Arizona Memorial commissioned 50 years ago, with the United States Marine Corps Band in the Opening Ceremonies, and in the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade remembering the 71st anniversary of the first attack on American soil.
Mayor Ron Belmont accompanied the students on the trip and led the band in the evening parade. Harrison High School Marching Band members proudly displayed badges from the VFW of Harrison specifically made to commemorate this special event.
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Besides the distinction of having been selected, the experience itself put a face on the “Greatest Generation” and allowed Harrison High School students to become living links to a truly extraordinary chapter in American history. The met with survivors of the attack and listened to their first-hand accounts of this infamous day in American history.
“We’re honored to have represented the State of New York and these proud veterans who served their country,” said
Co-Band director Charles Briem. “We were proud to acknowledge the sacrifices these soldiers made to our country and bestow a small token of our appreciation on them.”
