Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Scott Wood | 180810-N-KH214-0286 OAK HARBOR, Wash. (August 10, 2018) Country music singer Jerrod...... read more read more
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By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Scott Wood, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West, Det. Whidbey Island
OAK HARBOR, Wash. (NNS) – In lieu of its fourth annual customer appreciation picnic, Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island’s Moral, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) program hosted the country music performers Thompson Square and Jerrod Niemann on Friday, August 10 at NAS Whidbey Island.
The annual picnic is MWR’s public thanks for the participation and support the base provides.
“Really it’s just bringing a lot of things together,” said NAS Whidbey Island’s MWR Director, Jeffrey Shaw. “We just try to get that out to the troops and show them that we appreciate what they do, and give them an opportunity to have a great time. We love what we do, and this is us showing we love doing this for you, serving those who serve.”
During the picnic, food services were provided along with a beer garden, and a few bounce houses were set up along the perimeter for children to have fun while waiting between shows.
The picnic itself nearly did not reach it’s required funding and only a last minute donation from Raytheon, a major U.S. defense contractor and industrial corporation, was able to fully fund the event.
“Raytheon Corporation is a big supporter of the armed forces,” said Dan Thiesen, director of airborne electronic attack at Raytheon. “We feel it’s pretty important to provide or fill in for this type of activity. We heard this year that the picnic wasn’t funded and we were able to step in and it makes us happy to do that.”
The main event began with husband and wife, Keifer and Shawna Thompson, of country music duo Thompson Square, performing on stage in a simple set with an acoustic guitar and vocals as the duo sang various songs from their newly released album “Masterpiece”.
The duo has been playing for the military for nearly three years and stated that being able to come out and perform at military installations has been on their agenda since the beginning.
“It’s really an important thing for us to do,” said Keifer Thompson. “I think as we get older we realize how important it is to be able to give back.”
Shawna also agreed with her husband, saying, “It really is something we’ve always wanted to do. We’ve played music forever, but even back before we had got our record deal we sent out applications to possibly play some shows.”
Thompson Square went on to say that it’s the stories they hear at these concerts that makes playing for the military truly memorable. They never feel more patriotic than during these moments.
A large crowd turned out for the event, and as Jerrod Niemann closed for the last half of the concert, people were dancing, singing and fully enjoying themselves.
| Date Taken: | 08.10.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2018 20:05 |
| Story ID: | 288375 |
| Location: | OAK HARBOR, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 120 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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