VERO BEACH — The Indian River County Firefighters will return to Riverside Theatre for the 2010 Commemorative Observance Ceremony of September 11th on Saturday, September 11 at 7 p.m. The free event will feature the US Navy Band Sound of Freedom and will also include guest speakers Lou Pabon and Col. Danny R. McKnight.
Sound of Freedom is Navy Band Southeast’s newest performing group. This 40-piece band is a high-energy, patriotic entertainment ensemble that is traditional Navy Band music with a twist. With a mix of patriotic and classic Americana, Sound of Freedom delivers a variety of music, ranging from Dixieland to A Cappella vocals to Drum Corps styles.
Guest speaker Colonel Danny R. McKnight, U.S. Army, Retired, was born in Columbus, GA, moved to Rockledge in 1959 and graduated from Cocoa High School and Brevard Community College. He was a Distinguished Military Graduate from Florida State University, where he earned a BS Degree and earned his Master’s Degree from the University of Florida.
His military career included Executive Office positions at Fort Benning, Fort Gillem and combat duty on two occasions – Panama 1989 and Somalia 1993 (basis for the Book and Movie Black Hawk Down). Colonel McKnight’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (2 awards), the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Ranger Tab, the Master Parachutist Badge with Combat Star, and the Pathfinder Badge. After completing 28 and one-half years of service, Colonel McKnight returned to Florida and has served in two Homeland Security related positions in Brevard County.
Lou Pabon was a construction worker who was working on a building adjacent to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Lou had just gotten off work and was on his way home when the planes struck the towers. Lou knew he had to go back and help… and help he did. Lou was one of the many “Regular Guys” that helped find loved ones lost and operate some of the heavy equipment used to clean the site. Lou worked at the site for months until his contract with the company he worked for was up. In the interim he took thousands of personal pictures of Ground Zero. Some of those pictures will be displayed in the theatre lobby.
Tickets to the 2010 Commemorative Observance Ceremony are free and must be obtained in person at the Riverside Theatre Box Office.
Box Office hours are Monday through Friday from 10am to 5pm. (The Box Office will be closed on Monday, September 6th.)
Information: Call 772-231-6990.
