Oh say can you see By the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed At the twilight's last gleaming Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the far right or the ramparts we watched were so utterly stream.

Hey it's Ray.

The bombs bursting gave THROUGH THE NIGHT THAT OUR FLAG WAS STILL THERE.

Oh SAY DOES THAT STAR SPANGLED BANNER YET WAVE.

Or the and good evening ladies and gentlemen.

And happy Fourth of July.

Welcome to a 4th of July celebration presented by your United States Air Force Band of the West.

My name's Chuck Caro and I am honored to be your M.C.

for tonight's celebration.

The United States Air Force Band of the West based out of San Antonio Texas travels more than one hundred twenty five thousand miles with over 300 performances each year to military and civilian audiences throughout Texas Oklahoma Louisiana Mississippi Alabama Georgia Florida and Puerto Rico.

While fulfilling their mission to honor inspire and connect the band in the West has performed for presidents heads of state and dignitaries from around the world earning an outstanding reputation among America's military bands.

July 4th 1776 America's Independence Day.

Now each year we gather to commemorate this momentous occasion.

It's a time where we would normally celebrate with concerts parades festivals and barbecues.

Americans come together with family and friends to show their love for the red white and blue and to celebrate the great land in which we live.

This year 2020 we faced many challenges and during these uncertain times Americans have shown innovation resiliency and determination to keep pushing forward and persevere due to the restrictions of the corona virus.

Unfortunately we're unable to share this musical celebration with you in person.

However with the help of our friends at Cal our n a public broadcasting member here in San Antonio the United States Air Force Band of the West is honored to present this year's Fourth of July celebration virtually.

So please sit back relax and enjoy.

As the United States Air Force Band of the West brings the celebration to you we may be physically separated but we can still celebrate this year's Fourth of July together without further ado.

We begin this evening with an upbeat take on a familiar patriotic tune.

Please enjoy this arrangement of America the Beautiful.

Performed by top flight one of the band to the west pop music ensembles Oh beautiful for spacious skies beautiful Oh Roxy when they're wrong say that was top flight from the United States Air Force Band of the West performing America the Beautiful.

Arranged by staff sergeant and musical director Cody Peterson and featuring senior airman Courtney Woods on vocals.

The band to the West has three large ensembles.

The concert band ceremonial marching band and dimensions in blue jazz ensemble.

Next you'll see and hear the ceremonial marching band led by the group's drum major staff sergeant Justise McKenzie performing a popular ceremonial march national emblem and they look and sound fantastic don't they.

That was Glenn Miller's American patrol performed by dimensions in blue the jazz ensemble for the band the West who were donning the pinks and greens uniform from the Glenn Miller air.

And thanks again for joining us for this Fourth of July celebration.

The musical diversity within the United States Air Force Band of the West allows them to perform practically any style of music ranging from classical and country to marches and mambo.

Next we hear from Freedom brass.

With a high flying peace those magnificent men and their flying machines Hi I'm Ron Nuremberg mayor of San Antonio a dynamic community also appropriately known as Military City USA.

I'm proud to be a part of the Kayla and Joint Base San Antonio musical Fourth of July broadcast as we celebrate our nation's birthday.

The United States of America is an amazing place that offers the most freedom and highest quality of life of any nation in the history of our world.

We cherish San Antonio's role in the patriotic tradition of military service and ensuring our national security.

Honoring our long and deep ties with the military is always an important part of our Fourth of July celebration.

The military is a defining part of San Antonio's identity.

Our community's commitment to serving our nation is one of the most important and proudest parts of our history.

It is those military ties and the difficult times we've endured together.

It gives me the greatest hope.

We may be encountering turbulence but I know we have what it takes.

We have the American spirit determination and know how that we need.

And amid a global pandemic we are carrying on our proud traditions even if we celebrate them virtually instead of in person in San Antonio.

We know that freedom isn't free and we know that and respect those men and women who protect our freedom and ensure the world is a safer place.

So tonight I'm proud to be an American and proud to be a San Antonio and proud.

My hometown is Military City USA.

Let's enjoy this great evening.

We have a heritage and a future worth celebrating.

So Happy 4th of July.

And God bless America.

Gap some German car listen to the Beatles singing them back in the USSR yes go go the world to 98 just got a boyfriend down at St.

He has a beer.

So the body is narrowed down to just five men see it on its own air France gets its step down on that ship.

I he never had a dream.

We have known for usually.

She is a phone Italy Charlottetown.

Seven years bad luck.

Real security branches I tell just American just another American is just another American.

Saturday a set on a new year's see.

Boy it's strange seem to Miami me my neighbor.

The bell.

Oh me straight to the spam.

Passing in time.

Just day.

No.

Miss the bro.

And we stray much shouting The and stray s broke into that mystery to that was bless the broken road performed by yet another of the band to the west small ensembles Nightwatch and featured Airman First Class Liam Fox on vocals.

Next we invite the commander of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command Station here in San Antonio to share a message with us.

Hello and happy Fourth of July.

I'm Lieutenant General Brad Webb the commander of Education Training Command headquartered here in San Antonio.

As commander I oversee the training of all young men and women who choose to join the world's greatest air force.

In fact every airman starts their career with us which is why we're also known as the first command.

This year we celebrate our two hundred and forty fourth Independence Day our journey in this grand experiment called democracy has been a fulfilling and rewarding one for millions that have come before us but has also been at times a difficult one.

Our founding fathers crafted for us a society which recognizes that all men and women are treated equally.

But this dream has not been easily achieved nor sustained through wars and unrest both at home and abroad.

These ideas are often challenged and tested freedom is not free.

And we have incredible service members on the frontlines right now.

Their station across the globe.

And they're protecting our liberties every day.

Rest assured.

United States military members are proud to fight for the freedoms we celebrate here today.

The Air Force is founded on the principle of innovation.

Breaking Barriers setting the standard for moving forward in our schoolhouses in our skies.

We continue to transform the way we learn and we continue to cultivate an environment of excellence.

Please honor and celebrate our airmen space professionals soldiers sailors Coast Guardsmen and Marines who have served before us and those currently currently serving.

We enjoy this festive holiday because of their sacrifices and the sacrifices of their families.

Happy Fourth of July.

I hope you enjoy this celebration.

God bless this great land and the incredible people who defend it.

God bless America if tomorrow things were gone and I had to start again with just my children I think my lucky star to be live and he because the flag still stands for freedom.

The America when stop soda to the hills 10 soon across the plains of Texas from sea to shining star and Trevor Brown is promised I have a dream as big as the sun going down a freeway newlyweds in the back Mosey dream ran out of that was once again top flight.

The pop music group from the band to the West featuring Technical Sergeant Nick Daniels on lead vocal.

The United States Air Force stands strongly as a unified force because of the thousands of individual stories each member brings to the fight for these airmen.

The bonds of brother and sisterhood forged by serving together can last a lifetime and may one day unknowingly save their life.

S special warfare airmen who serve in both Special Operations and conventional service roles tactical air control party specialist traditionally network outside the Air Force as precision airstrike controllers with the Army Navy and joint operations.

Now we turn our attention to one such Air Force tactic.

Staff Sergeant retired Seth Penna who served with the US Army one hundred and 1st Airborne the Eighty second Airborne and the 3rd Infantry Division from 2005 to 2015 originally from Medford Oregon.

Kenya has an upbeat personality and is quick to tell jokes.

Every opportunity he can.

So like many although he's not born in the Lone Star State he got to Texas as quickly as he could and now he calls Bernie Texas home.

Sgt.

Penney deployed in 2007 2009 and 2011 to Iraq and Afghanistan serving honorably and returned home unscathed.

Trained to survive on the battlefield he then found himself in the greatest fight of his life.

Listen to how Sergeant Pena came to find community support and resilience from his wingman off the battle ground and his greatest hour of need.

It was March 1st 2013.

I was coming home one night late at night with my Harley twelve hundred custom Beautiful bike it was my dream bike and I was going through a traffic traffic light and a drunk driver who was stoned ran a red hit and killed me on my bike launched me off my bike into some of his yard.

I died on a back so for a torn aorta open book pelvic break punctured lung fractured ribs skull fractures brain bleeds just over half my blood happened to be next to one of the top trauma centers in the entire nation.

I got to finally do the trauma center surrounded by all the best medical equipment people with all the best training and I was I was going downhill still.

I died again.

Once at the scene once in the helicopter and then I died or was about to die again for the third and final time.

My unit already been alert to what had happened to me by this point and so there were some of my brothers from my unit were out there and they gathered them brought them back into the super clean area where they'd been working on me everything and they told him to talk to me and encourage me say something because they had no idea what else to do.

They had all the best equipment training and everything I still I still going down.

And so I'm sure you've heard people say that you've heard folks talk about when you're in a coma you can sometimes hear people talking and that's true because I remember hearing my brother encourage me and their version of encourage me encouragement.

They were swearing at me and yelling at me.

And so it brought me to a point of consciousness to where the point of being able to think and be like OK get wiser Gilligan what's going on.

And they said that's when was the last time they were in danger of losing.

That's when I stabilized again.

You have been broken since a U.S.

Here you are so secure.

One night a nurse came in to give me a sponge bath and I asked her why my leg hurt so much.

And she said we talked about it and I said my leg and I was pointing to my leg and she's like It's not there one thing you're always looking for when your life changes beyond your control just so suddenly his feelings of normalcy again.

And it helped motivate me when I'm when I was able to watch the other guys who were just beginning to attack me training and watch them go through different things.

Physically it helped me remember the motto of my career which is the strong she'll stand the weak will fall by the wayside.

Most people that look at me they think this probably happened down range and the fact is it did.

I had plenty of combat and fighting downrange but you know I came home and then it happened.

There's people in the program who when they've gone through their injuries or traumatic situations they feel like you know I'm not exactly what you were this didn't happen deployed or anything like that but the fact of the matter is that they are still fighting every day and that's what makes them.

Our lives are all an equation and there are some things in that equation that are constant that we can't do anything about.

And there are some variables that we can actually affect.

People need to look at the things that are within their own power.

They can actually do something focus on those and then take little steps make little improvements do little things that are progress in the right direction.

I think that day o rise on that was velocity featuring Senior Airman Christina Bagley on vocals next.

We'd like to invite the commander of the five second Air Base Wing here at Joint Base San Antonio Brigadier General Caroline Miller to say a few words hello good evening and happy Fourth of July I am Brigadier General Caroline Miller commander of the 5 0 2nd Air Base Wing across Joint Base San Antonio.

I am thrilled to celebrate America's birthday with you tonight through this musical tribute to our great nation.

I am proud of how our community has come together over these past months overcoming challenges and working through obstacles are professionals on the frontlines have been tackling these threats head on and while there is still much to do in the long road ahead.

There is also much to be hopeful for although we are not gathered this evening in one location.

We are connected virtually across regions in one cause to bring our community together and celebrate our nation's strength and the liberties it provides us.

And what a community we have working for us already.

Did you know that Joint Base San Antonio is the largest joint base in the Department of Defense with over two hundred sixty six mission partners.

The presence of your United States military across San Antonio has earned us the title of Military City USA.

Working together we conquer difficult issues and build lasting partnerships that make our communities stronger.

I sincerely wish for the health and safety of you your family and your friends especially now.

It is even more relevant to stay active.

Take care of yourself.

Call your relatives help your friends reach out to your neighbors work alongside your colleagues and come together as a community we are stronger together Joint Base San Antonio has a workforce population of nearly 80 thousand military civilians and contractors.

I look forward to leading from the front with our devoted colleagues through the challenges that lie ahead.

We will progress forward together and in the words of Charles Dickens.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.

We all have a purpose and a role in our community.

Keep the hope alive and be active in your neighborhood.

I cherish our partnerships that we have built.

And together we will overcome.

I wish you the very best.

This Independence Day celebrate unite as a community.

Build partnerships that make us all stronger.

Be active and stay safe.

Do this with the liberties that the United States of America provide you.

God bless you all and God bless America.

It is how slowly and see husband and you see my heart to feed the hungry.

Is my feed.

I have you need me.

Class saying God's not pain and was for as we continue this 4th of July celebration we would like to honor all of our past and current service members by performing the song of each branch of military service.

Now when you hear your service song we invite you to stand clap and sing along as you show pride in your service and country conducted by the commander of the United States Air Force Band of the West.

Major Dustin Doyle here is your armed forces service medley and he goes away.

My is from the in to the shore where we will find a we're always ready for the go to sound guy to the song and to be standing with thank you for joining us this evening ladies and gentlemen.

I'm Chuck Harrow.

We hope this has been an inspiring patriotic tribute for your Fourth of July celebration.

Now we've got one more musical selection for you tonight.

We closed the evening with a march that was written and first performed in 1897 composed by the American March King John Philip Sousa.

This march was established as our national march by an act of Congress in nineteen eighty seven the United States Air Force Band of the West concert band concludes this celebration with a very recognizable and patriotic Stars and Stripes Forever the.