November 4, 2005

Veteran’s Day activities highlight Congressional Medal of Honor recipients

Two Congressional Medal of Honor recipients will be in San Jose for Veteran’s Day activities Nov. 11-12.

Colonel Donald Ballard and Major General Patrick Brady will be special guests at unique Veteran’s Day Memorials at the San Jose Elks Lodge on Friday, Nov. 11, and at the American GI Forum on Saturday, Nov. 12. Prior to that Colonel Ballard will be the Honorary Grand Marshal of San Jose Veteran’s Day Parade.

The memorials will feature Pete Jacobs and his Wartime Radio Revue www.wartimeradio.com, which includes three singers similar to the Andrews Sisters and a 16-piece orchestra.

Friday night’s dance/concert will be held in the San Jose Elk’s Lodge Grand Ballroom, at 444 West Alma Ave., from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. A second dance on Saturday afternoon will be held in the American GI Forum’s Grand Ballroom, located at 765 Story Road, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Colonel Ballard and General Brady will attend both dances/concerts.

City of San Jose Councilmember Ken Yeager will present both Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients with certificates of commendation from the City of San Jose, recognizing the Medal of Valor awards that both men have received. This award will be presented at the Big Band Swing Dance/Concert on Friday, Nov. 11 at 8:15 p.m. Also, the 2005 National Jitterbug Champions, The Hollywood Hornets, will be performing at the dance.

The swing band, which formed in November of 1997, plays big band hits from the 1930s and ’40s. During the program, the band offers breaking news stories from World War II. Jacobs and his group, dressed in khaki-colored uniforms, play some original songs as well as 1940-style radio commercials. The band features the three young women vocalists, a horn section and a driving rhythm section for an authentic classic swing sound.

The Southern California musicians have appeared at the Hollywood Bowl, the Derby, Catalina’s Casino Ballroom and are a regular Disneyland-featured band. Jacobs is a professional musician, songwriter and record producer. He also produces a children’s television show called Colby’s Clubhouse on TBN.

Veteran’s Day Parade
San Jose’s 28th annual Veteran’s Day Parade begins at 11 a.m. at the reviewing stand in the median at Park and Market streets. The six divisions in the parade itself, which starts at noon, will march east on Santa Clara Street toward Market Street, turn right and move south past the reviewing stand. It ends at San Carlos and Market streets.

Service men and women from all previous and current wars will be present including those who have fought in World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Bosnia, the Gulf War and the War in Iraq. There will also be re-enactors from the Spanish-American and civil wars as well as horses, bands, clowns and balloon makers.

A Big Band Swing Dance float will be in the parade along with swing dancing from the Hollywood Hornets. The parade’s Grand Marshals are Violet S. Wierzbicki from Santa Cruz and Jean Koehler of Sunnyvale.

The two women served as members of the Women’s Air Force Service Pilot during World War II. Their job was to fly all types of planes including fighter planes and bombers from the factories to assignment stations. They also used to tow targets for anti-aircraft and aerial gunner practice. WASPS were not recognized as air force personnel until about 10 years ago.

Vietnam Heroes
Colonel Ballard (http://www.kansasguardmuseum.org/mohballard.html) received his Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry while risking his life when he was a Hospital Corpsman Second Class for the Marines in Vietnam in 1968. He was returning to his platoon when a North Vietnamese Army unit ambushed the company.

When Colonel Ballard saw a wounded Marine, he moved across the fire-swept terrain to the injured man and gave medical assistance. As four men prepared to move the wounded Marine, an enemy solider threw a hand grenade, which landed near the injured man.

Ballard threw himself on the grenade to protect his comrades from the blast. When it failed to detonate, he rose from his position and continued treating the injured. He currently is a colonel in the Kansas Army National Guard and is the only current member of that group to have received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Major General Patrick Brady (http://www.dustoff.org/hall-of-fame/Citations/BradyCitation.htm) demonstrated conspicuous gallantry in action at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. He won his award for volunteering to rescue wounded men from four sites in enemy held territory heavily defended by enemy forces in Vietnam.

On Jan. 6, 1968, when he was a major in the Army’s Medical Service Corps, Brady used three helicopters to evacuate 51 seriously wounded men, many of whom would have died without prompt medical treatment.

2005 National Jitterbug Champions
The Hollywood Hornets (www.hollywoodhornets.com) dance team specializes in swing dances from the 1920s to the 1950s. Among the dances they perform are the Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Charleston, Shag and Balboa. The group’s primary goal is to recreate the mood and spirit of the past through dance.

The Hollywood Hornets have won three National Jitterbug Team Championships including the 2005 title. This group has performed at Hollywood Bowl’s Swing Night, the Playboy Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Super Bowl, Tournament of Roses Parade and the Disney Holiday Show.

Besides the chance to meet these war heroes and see the Hollywood Hornets, the Veteran’s Day Memorial Dance/Concert offers four hours of live music. Tickets are available in advance for $39 per person or $49 at the door. Seniors and veteran prices are $29 in advance.

There will be bus transportation available to the American GI Forum for $9.95 a roundtrip ticket. For advance tickets call (800) 640-7777. For 24-hour information, call (408) 294-4444 or e-mail BigBandDance@earthlink.net.