00:00Oh yeah, D. Yeah, come on.
00:14I'm here to talk to y'all what we did for a reason.
00:18Now y'all got to go out there in the world and you know what I mean.
00:21If we were hard on y'all, it's for a reason.
00:24Now looking at y'all, I think all y'all the best at what y'all do as far as y'all playing
00:27instruments and things like that, all right?
00:30We always love you, okay?
00:32All right, and y'all always welcome to come home anytime, okay, and hopefully y'all understand
00:38that 80 years ago, on these very streets, people died for freedom, and y'all marching
00:46on these streets right now, so soak that in, you got it?
00:50Yes, sir.
00:51All right, we good?
00:52Yes, sir.
00:53All right.
00:54Let's go.
00:55Everybody, here comes the purple, purple, purple, purple, purple, purple, purple, purple.
01:04I felt proud this morning when the band arrived in St. Mary Glees, and I saw them get off
01:12the bus and saw how they carried themselves and the pride that they have, so it's humbling
01:19to be a small part of it, and to see the pride that they have, and to see the reaction
01:27from the crowd this morning when they played the French National Anthem, you know, was
01:32pretty amazing.
01:49Today, we are here to repay the soldiers who gave their lives for the protection of freedom
02:01in Europe and in the world, not just for the present, but for me, my friends, and also
02:08the future generations.
02:09And for that, we will never forget.
02:14These soldiers are not physically with us, so it is our obligation to know our history,
02:21tell their story, and continue to celebrate the day and the other events that have changed
02:28our lives.
02:30As a school, we shape our young men's identity by giving them confidence, by providing them
02:37with a sense of who they are, versus just giving them teaching lessons and giving them
02:43classes.
02:44In addition, we work very hard to build and sew into them a level of pride of not only
02:51just being a Black man, but a young man who will have the ability to go into any room,
02:58into any circumstance, and come out victorious on the other side.
03:03Part of our success is learning how to deal with the things that sometimes may appear
03:08to be a stumbling block for us, converting them into a stepping stone.
03:13Not by stepping on one another, but by lifting one another up.
03:16A lot of times with the world that these young men live in, it's hard for them to stay dedicated
03:20to something.
03:22And when you're in a band, when you're part especially a band with a history of ours,
03:27sometimes they miss the moment in understanding the history that they have.
03:32And there's a lot of hard work to be one, a lot of hard work to work together as one.
03:37I like to say it's not so much music is codependent or independent, it's interdependent.
03:45Knowing how to balance.
03:46So, yeah, you can play loud, high, and fast, but can you play slow, soft, and intense?
03:52Can you balance all that strength?
04:37Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
05:06I realized there are many similarities between those who fought here and the values instilled
05:21in us at St. Augustine High School.
05:25Values such as selflessness, courage, loyalty, and brotherhood are what those servicemen
05:30displayed on June 6, 1944.
05:33The young men of St. Augustine High School will honor the men of D-Day and the values
05:38they upheld by displaying those same values in everything that we do.
05:41It is with my deepest honor and gratitude that I'm able to give this address to pay
05:46homage to some of the bravest in our history.
05:50The St. Augustine Band performed at several events to commemorate the 80th anniversary
05:57of D-Day.
05:58St. Augustine High School's Marching Band performed during commemorations in Normandy.
06:04As Parker Boyce shows us, students say they were inspired and uplifted by the sacrifices
06:08of others.
06:09It's hard for me to put it into words.
06:11I had no idea.
06:12Well, me of little faith, I said, I'm going to try this, but I don't know.
06:16It's a lot of money.
06:17It's a lot of time.
06:18It's a lot of work.
06:19So to me, seeing the fruit of this labor ...
06:49My name is Jason Wells, class of 2024.
07:14I play cymbals.
07:16One word to describe this trip right now is amazing, historical.
07:19My name is Stephen Black, class of 2025.
07:22I'm an alto sax player.
07:24One word to describe the band is grown.
07:26My name is Tyron Matisse, class of 2024, and one word to describe our band is best.
07:32Bailey Cashmere, class of 2024, and one word to describe this band is fun.
07:36John Wilson, class of 2024.
07:38One word to describe this band is an army.
07:41My name is Sean Perham, class of 2024.
07:44One word I use to describe this band is discipline.
07:48My name is Elon Brunis, class of 2024.
07:50I am a drum major, and a word to describe our band is fearless.
07:53My name is Cameron Brown, class of 2024, drum major, and one word I would use to describe
07:57this band is greatness.
08:15I pray that they come back a little bit changed and a little bit evolved.
08:20I pray that they understand that every culture is different in every single block around
08:26the world.
08:27And as you continue to grow and become more mature, to have a level of respect for different
08:34traditions, different countries, the way people think, the way people live, the way that they
08:41represent themselves, and what true, true relationships look like and feel like.
08:47And I also hope that when they come back to their school here at St. Augustine High School,
08:52that they have a greater appreciation for what we as graduates, alumni, support systems,
09:00friends, foundations, and the people that care about this school has done for them,
09:05and that years and decades from now, that they too will give back in some form or fashion
09:12to repay what was done for them.
09:14And I hope our young men see the world differently.
09:35♪♪
10:05♪♪
10:36♪♪
10:40♪♪
11:01We have moved 162 individuals from the United States to France.
11:08Two places in France, Normandy and Paris, and it takes a tremendous amount of communication
11:17and trust in people's skills to be able to do that.
11:21Not only people, but you had to move instruments.
11:24You had to have cargo that all had to be shipped, that all had to be brought back.
11:29So it is incredibly critical to have the right people on the bus, the right people in the
11:35proper seats to be able to maneuver an entire operation.
11:40Thankfully, we have team members who are truly dedicated and their passion pushes them through
11:48and they deliver on the promise of us being able to deliver for our young men.
11:52So I am blessed to be able to have a dedicated team, a willing team, a skillful team
11:59that has truly, truly been dynamic over the last eight years.
12:04♪♪
