It’s just more than 4,300 miles as the crow flies from Leighton, Alabama, to Pearl Harbor.
Members of the Colbert County High School Band will embark on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity Saturday morning as they travel to Hawaii to take part in the annual Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade.
It’s a trip about a year in the making. Last Thanksgiving, they received the initial invite. Something they never thought was possible without the guidance of Band Director Logan Pouncey.
“They wanted to do something new, something better and they started pushing themselves and buying into the program,†explained Pouncey.
In just a few short years, he gave new life to a nearly dormant program.
“They realized it’s fun to be good.â€
These kids put in the extra work to make their community proud. In addition to prepping for Hawaii, they continued to excel in marching competition season and football season, giving it their all.
“We’re known around here for a tradition of excellence, we may not be the largest band, but we will always look the best and be the best we can be,†explained Pouncey, “(and) everybody knows and I think they trust us now, they have this trust in us that we can go over and represent Leighton and the Shoals very well as an ambassadorâ€
Taking part in something much bigger than themselves.
“Freedom is not free. It takes a lot to be able to take a group of kids to Hawaii to do this concert, to do this parade,†he said.
“To meet servicemen that are still alive to remind them that this is the greatest honor that our town could have for a long time and this will probably be the last chance that anyone can meet World War II veterans that were alive especially in Pearl Harbor.â€
Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é will bring you special coverage of their journey. Marie Waxel will lead our team coverage starting on Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é News at 10 p.m. Sunday.
