CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/289578
CityViewNC.com | 49 F ayetteville's Music Hall of Fame has just increased in talented artists aer inducting Fort Bragg's lauded a capel- la group, the 82nd Airborne Division's All-American Chorus. is patriotic group of singing soldiers joined the ranks of other musi- cians, formed by the Community Concerts of Fayetteville. At February's ceremony at e Crown eater, the Sec- retary of the Army's senior civilian aide gave high remarks to the music makers. "ey are probably the finest ambassadors for this city, this region, this base, this division and this army that we could ever enlist," Tomm Bolton said. "I don't think they've ever met someone they couldn't easily inspire with a re- newed sense of patriotism and pride." Comprised of 23 talented vocalists, the traveling troupe of musicians is a local favorite. All serve in regular job de- tails at Fort Bragg, where they also deploy and attend man- singing soldiers awarded top honors for their talents while serving By kELLy TwEDELL Commanding Chorus datory military training throughout the year. But make no mistake about it, their dedication and long rehearsal hours pay off when you hear them singing and performing their routine in unison. e prestige and honor that the songs convey as the sol- diers sing, and to their fallen comrades as they perform at memorial services are most memorable. eir smooth harmonic sound can be compared to that of a barbershop quartet. ey sing patriotic hymns known by all but mix it up with classic tunes like 'Brown Eyed Girl' and 'Sweet Caroline' to get the crowds clapping and sway- ing along. Some songs like 'Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree' are a throwback to the earlier Army days. Sgt. Evan omsen, the director of the group since 2012 shared a bit of what is behind their latest song, "Jeremiah Denton." Denton, a naval pilot, was a prisoner of war for eight years during the Vietnam War era and omsen explained his courageous feat while in captivity. It was through Denton's courage that our country first learned military