WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The West Plains High School Zizzer Pride Band, under the direction of Rocky Long, and U.S. Army Maj. Andy Ingalsbe, West Plains, will lead the annual “A Musical Salute to Veterans” program at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12, at the West Plains Civic Center theater.
This free event is sponsored by the Missouri State University-West Plains University/Community Programs (U/CP) Department. “I am marveled by the sacrifices and selflessness of our men and women who serve,” said U/CP Director Brenda Malkowski. “This concert is one small way we can thank all of our area veterans for their service.”
The concert by the Zizzer Pride Band will feature traditional patriotic music, Long said. In addition to the national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” the band will perform “This is My Country,” an arrangement of “Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Phillip Sousa, an arrangement of “America, The Beautiful,” “Marches of the Armed Forces” featuring the service songs of all branches of the military, and other patriotic tunes, Long said.
The award-winning Zizzer Pride Band performs over 50 times each school year for parades, band festivals, athletic events, concerts and other community-related events. In addition, the band performed at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. in 2008, and the Lincoln Memorial this past May to celebrate the 90th anniversary of its dedication. The jazz band has been selected twice to perform for the Magic Music Days Festival at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
This year’s band is 105 members strong and includes students who are actively involved in all areas of student life at West Plains High School. The West Plains band program consists of 10 performing ensembles, including the High School Zizzer Pride Marching Band, wind ensemble, concert band, jazz band, jazz techniques class, basketball pep band, percussion orchestra, middle school advanced band, middle school intermediate band and middle school beginning band.
Ingalsbe, a former commander of the 1138th Military Police Company in West Plains and a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, will discuss the importance of Veterans’ Day in his remarks. The life-long resident of West Plains joined the 1138th in 1978 as a private and received officer commission in August 1983. After fulfilling several different commands and training positions throughout the National Guard and Army Reserve, including two-and-a-half years as the 1138th commander, he retired in 2005 after 27 years of service.
Seven months after retirement, however, Ingalsbe went on active duty and served 15 months in Iraq. After retiring again and returning to civilian life, he went back on active duty in 2008 for a year-long tour in Afghanistan. He was just two days away from starting a second tour in Afghanistan when he was injured in September 2009. Ingalsbe spent eight months recovering in Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., and returned to West Plains in May 2010. A member of the Wounded Warrior Program for the past three years, Ingalsbe is assigned to the Little Rock, Ark., Community Based Wounded Warrior Unit and is awaiting disposition of the Army’s Medical Board to be retired for the third and final time, with over 32 years of service – including five years active duty.
In addition to the musical performance and Ingalsbe’s remarks, the colors will be presented by members of the Missouri Army National Guard’s 1138th Military Police Company Color Guard of West Plains.
For more information about the Veterans Day program, contact the U/CP office, 417-255-7966 For more information about upcoming events sponsored by the U/CP Department, visit the website http://wp.missouristate.edu/ucp/.