FILE PHOTO: American flag. Photo by Samuel Branch on Unsplash
LOGAN – It’s hard to believe Dr. Craig Jessop can continue to best prior programs in honoring servicemen and women who died while protecting the freedoms of the United States of America in his Veterans Day programs. But he does.
This year, Dr. Jessop will direct The American Festival Chorus and Utah State University Symphony Orchestra for their popular annual Veterans Day Memorial on Friday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Newel and Jean Daines Concert Hall at USU’s Chase Fine Arts Center.
The USU Air Force-Army ROTC Honor Guard will present the colors.
“This is AFC’s 15th year presenting A Veterans Day Memorial. Each year we are so pleased to honor our veterans and have special guest speakers share their personal experiences,” Jessop said. “These veterans are individuals who have had experiences as different as the wars or countries in which they served, and their stories are as varied.”
They will honor Utah Army National Guard Major Brent R. Taylor’s widow, Jennie, and their family and are eager to hear their story.
“We likewise pay tribute to all who have served and remember our own Howard LaMont Croshaw with gratitude and reverence for his service,” he said.
The program will pay special tribute to honor the indomitable spirit of U.S. military service men and women who serve and protect our country. The program will also honor fallen Airman First Class Howard LaMont “Monty” Croshaw, a native of Cache Valley, who served in Korea.
Airman First Class Howard LaMont Croshaw enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 and spent a year in basic training before being sent to Kunsan Airbase in South Korea, where he was a gunner on a B-26 bomber flying with the 13th Squadron of the 3rd Bomb Wing (“The Devil’s Own”). Croshaw never returned from a mission to Pyongyang, and a crash site was never found. He was 18 years old.
For his heroic service, the Air Force honored Crowshaw with the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart. His name is memorialized at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance in Washington, DC, and at war memorials in Cache Valley.
This year Jessop invited Jennie Taylor as a guest speaker. She is the Gold Star Widow of Major Brent R. Taylor, North Ogden Mayor and Utah Army National Guard officer who lost his life while serving in Afghanistan, to speak as part of the program. Taylor is an active and passionate advocate for military families and the Gold Star/Military Survivor Community.
Another invited guest is singer and actor Dallyn Vail Bayles as a featured soloist. He is a well-known singer, actor, and teacher from Green River, Utah, whose credits include prolific roles in national and international Broadway tours and regional theatres, feature films, along with performances with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.
The concert is free, but tickets are required. A standby line will be available. Children aged 8 and older are welcome. For more information, call (435) 797-8022 or visit americanfestivalchorus.org.