The Air Force Band recently returned to Culpeper National Cemetery in Virginia to shoot a video for Memorial Day 2021.
“First off, it’s just utterly beautiful out here,” said Tech. Sgt. Michael Brest, the video’s producer and editor in a VA blog post. “It’s a great place to pay respects and see the cemetery.”
The cemetery also served as the backdrop for the band’s Memorial Day video last year.
This year, the band performed the hymn “Going Home,” and brought in a bagpiper and elements from the Ceremonial Brass.
The band used a job to shoot numerous passes among the grave markers of buried service members. The video will be released prior to Memorial Day.
The finished, two-minute video includes a video message from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., and will help people to remember the fallen.
“I think it helps bring a really strong message of support,” Brest said. “Right now, especially with as trying as the times are in the world, it’s nice to see something that is kind of getting back to a feeling of where we were before and really bring people back together.”
Air Force Band members always feel the solemness of playing in a cemetery. They frequently play in Arlington National Cemetery, according to Brest.
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The band’s visit is a fitting tribute for Memorial Day and teaches people about the National Cemetery Administration, or NCA, mission, said Jason Hogan, Culpeper National Cemetery director.
“It almost acts like an outreach event for the NCA to bring awareness of not only Culpeper National Cemetery, but the other 154 national cemeteries throughout the country,” Hogan said.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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