Join our Volunteer, Air Force Veteran, Peer Support Specialist, and Writer/Author Steven Bates TONIGHT for "Mid-Week Musings!" edition of Warriors for Life (WFL) Online, sponsored and presented by Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV).
We are asking everyone to share who we are and what support Victory for Veterans provides via WFL. If you know someone who is a veteran, first responder or a family member/caregiver, please ask them to join us for at least one meeting so they can learn more about what we do and how they can share their wisdom with others who may be able to learn from them.
We thank you in advance for being our voice and sharing our program and mission with everyone you know that can help and in turn benefit from their peers in a safe environment - the more people that are aware, the more lives we can affect and save for another day.
TONIGHT's Topic: "From Marine to ‘March King’ — Celebrating John Phillip Sousa!"
"John Phillip Sousa. The name alone automatically brings to mind the greatest marching music ever written. From the Marine's "Semper Fidelis" theme to the grandest march of all, "Stars and Stripes Forever", John Sousa wrote them all. A total of over 130 marches in his lifetime, not to mention 15 operettas, 5 overtures, 11 suites, 24 dances and many many more countless works were penned by this musical genius. But what do we really know about John Phillip Sousa? For one, he was one of the youngest Marines to ever enlist in the corp. Believe it or not, John entered his first tour of service in the Marine Corp Band at the young age of 13! His father, a trombonist in the Marine Corp Band, arranged for his 13 year-old son to enlist as an apprentice musician in the Marine Corp Band under the official rank of "boy" to prevent his son from going into the circus as a musician. Because he was born on Nov 6th (in 1854), the Marine Corp Band to this day celebrates his birth by performing "Semper Fidelis" at his grave in the Congressional Cemetary, though he was posthumously enshrined in the Hall of Great Americans in New York in 1976. Rising from the rank of "boy" in the Marine Corp band to later serving in the US Navy and recieving the final rank of Lt Commander, John Sousa inspired generations of military members and civilians alike with his powerful and bombastic marches that stir the souls of every American. As veterans, we often find music as a method to sooth our psyche or calm our conscience when we are undergoing stressful sitiations and thanks to John Phillip Sousa, we have a vast repertoire of military march music to choose from."
Join the Warriors for Life Mid-Week Musings with Air Force veteran, author, and Peer Support Specialist Steven Bates as we celebrate the life of John Phillip Sousa and the impact his marches have made on the hearts and souls of every red-blooded Amercan and veteran!
Warriors for Life (WFL) Online, presented by Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV) — Wednesday (TONIGHT), November 6, 2024, @ 4:30 PM PT, 5:30 PM MT, 6:30 PM CT, & 7:30 PM ET
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87440882846
Thank you,
Steven Bates
Air Force Veteran, Writer/Author, Peer Support Specialist, &
Volunteer Facilitator, Victory for Veterans, Inc.
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