SAN FRANCISCO -- It comes around once a year and is the most anticipated part of baseball season in Major League Baseball: The World Series. However, the 2010 World Series gave one person a once in a lifetime experience.
Game two, Texas Rangers versus the San Francisco Giants. Seventh inning stretch. Army Specialist Kristin Day steps out onto the field and belts out ‘God Bless America’ to a full stadium. A lot of people would see this as the biggest, most nerve-racking moment of their lives, but not Day, not after a year in Afghanistan. The chance to sing at the World Series definitely did leave an impression on Specialist Day, however.
”As I put on my Class A’s, I realized that I was finally able to fully represent what I went over to Afghanistan to do: try my hardest to stabilize and rebuild, sacrifice and watch sacrifices, all so that I can ensure that American Citizens will have opportunities to freely express gratitude and appreciation for God and America. What a perfect opportunity to display all off those freedoms” Day said.
Day is a member of the 405th Civil Affairs Battalion, which falls under the 351st Civil Affairs Command, and returned from a deployment to Ghanzi, Afghanistan this past summer. As a Civil Affairs soldier, Day spent her deployment helping to stabilize and rebuild Afghanistan while giving aid to Afghan locals. While serving with her unit post-deployment, Day was approached by her commander, Lt. Colonel Issac Johnson, Jr, to sing at the World Series.
“The only way that I can explain the opportunity to perform at the World Series is God. Trying to explain the impossible: being chosen at the right place at the right time to sing at such an event without an audition is literally impossible to explain without giving all of the Glory to God! I received a call from my company commander and the very next morning, I was boarding my plane to San Francisco!” exclaimed Specialist Day about her getting chosen to sing.
While for Day it seemed like an act of God, the process that allowed her to sing at AT&T Park was one filled with history.
In 2003, Julie DeMaria and Operation: Care and Comfort started sending packages to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. “The 7th Psychological Operations Command (a sister command to Day’s 351st CACOM) was the first military unit to come out and support our efforts, with military volunteers. In fact, we have mailed care packages to their deployed service members since the 2004. To date, we have shipped nearly 700,000 pounds of care packages!” DeMaria said on her relations with the 7th POG.
Another service Operation: Care and Comfort fills is finding service members to perform at San Francisco sporting events. With the long history that DeMaria has with the 7th POG, she knew she could count on them to get her talent for the World Series. Demaria contacted the POG commander who immediately sent out a call throughout his command and to his Civil Affairs counterpart. Specialist Day was an easy choice, as this was not her first performance Day explains:
“During my junior year of high school, I received the opportunity to participate in IMTA (International Model and Talent Association) in Los Angeles. From this opportunity, I was chosen to perform in front of over 500 recording managers and agents, which led to an opportunity to move to Los Angeles and pursue a singing acting and modeling career.”
After graduating high school early to move to Los Angeles, Day found herself without a definite direction, which led her to the Army and serving her country. Through serving her country, Day has gotten the chance to have many memorable performances. While singing at the World Series will forever be a standout moment in her life, some performances can never be shadowed for Day.
“The biggest event for my singing career thus far happened in Afghanistan, when I sang Amazing Grace for two of our close and dearly loved fallen soldiers (Staff Sgt. Christopher N. Staats and Sgt. Anthony G. Green of the Texas Agricultural Development Team-02) on our small FOB Ghazni, in October of 2009. I don’t think much will compare to that opportunity.”
For Spc. Kristin Day, after a year in Afghanistan, a World Series game and a performance of ‘God Bless America’ remind her of what it is to be an American and why she chose to serve those who choose to be free.
“My biggest hope is that my performance sent a warm reminder to people across the universe, that we all- American or not- can count our blessings, whether it’s through a soldier singing of blessings at the World Series or the oppressed who can silently sing of their blessings between their heart and God.”
| Date Taken: |
10.28.2010 |
| Date Posted: |
11.01.2010 13:18 |
| Story ID: |
59238 |
| Location: |
SAN FRANSISCO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: |
217 |
| Downloads: |
4 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Veteran Civil Affairs Soldier sings at World Series, by Kathryn Summerhill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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