[Woodcarver] President Regan Personal story (Chat)

[reddogg]

   As I set here watching the Funeral proceedings on TV , I am reminded of my personal contact with the former President a few years back. We live in a Mountain pass community some 70 miles East of LA. Ca. My youngest son was a member of the Marching Band  and eventually became Drum Major. As a proud parent I followed the band to all events and video taped everything.
   A couple years after President Regan left office our band was called upon to provide the music for a political rally held in a nearby community at a rodeo type pavilion where our County Schools Superintendent was hosting Congressional Candidates. Since the school year had officially ended we recruited a small group of members to play. 
   The kids showed little interest and were standing around listlessly when suddenly a caravan of  dark vehicles and a limo arrived. Men with dark glasses and ear plugs were seemingly everywhere. President Reagan emerged from the limo and moved to the platform. Our band played America the Beautiful having already played the Star Spangled  Banner. We all stood  there hearts pounding and agape because we had not been told he would be there.
  When he was finished speaking he left the platform and walked directly to the Band Director, shook his hand and thanked him for playing America the Beautiful. I thought  this was great and then he blew me away. He turned to my son and thanked him and shook his hand  and then moved among the rest of the band. These were the only young people there and they were both excited and overwhelmed.
   My son later played with his college band and got to travel to France and Japan but he never duplicated that event for excitement.
   I called him earlier today at work and he said that event kept replaying in his mind all week and he appreciates now more than then what happened. How he had touched greatness and a piece of history (his major in college) He said "Dad I think I better get that tape and put it on DVD" I felt then that I would be leaving my child and grand children a legacy of timeless history and was moved to share this with friends.
    This is not meant to spark political debate. Many can and have recently found fault with President Reagan and I hope this does not elicit more of the same this day alone.


Respectfully
"Reddogg"
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