Join us with your support for WWII USO Remembrance Day (USO Night)! Free and open to the public, USO Night is on the boardwalk pavilion at Solomon Island, MD, Friday, August 6, 2010, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. This musical history event salutes those who trained at the Solomon base during WWII. The 2009 tribute is on the date of the first invasion in the Pacific which was, ironically, in the Pacific Ocean's Solomon Islands on August 7, 1942. USO Night commemorates what civilians did for the troops during WWII. We swing to original music from recordings from the era and live performers. Join us for such songs as Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Somewhere over the Rainbow, Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive, Comin' In On a Wing and a Prayer and the big band sounds of the era. There will be a wreath laying ceremony. The Circle of Angels wants to give people, especially young people, a feel for the times and sacrifices of the Greatest Generation, some of whom we might be able to invite to come forward to tell their stories. We want to honor those who served our country in uniform and the home front heroes and heroines who lived through a time when the world was at war. The Circle of Angels believes it is an important tradition to continue. It is a great summer's evening event for the entire family.
Solomon Island, MD, is known as the "cradle of invasion" because, in the 1940's, it was a top secret amphibious training base for invasions in Europe and the Pacific. At one time, more than 100,000 people were squeezed on the island which was chosen after training bases in England were torpedoed by German warships. Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima are places known today because of the battles fought there by men trained at the Solomon base. The first island invaded in the Pacific Solomon Islands was Guadalcanal. The battle lasted from August 7, 1942 until February 9, 1943. Losses were calculated at 550 lives and 2,500 wounded marines for every square mile. There were only a handful of Japanese survivors. The Calvert Marine Museum hosted the Cradle of Invasion, a day long history event, for ten years, the final year being 2007. The Circle of Angels first hosted USO Night three years ago. We want to continue this tradition and, in future years, to add to this event by hosting WWII reenactments. We want to honor those who have served in the armed forces in the past and those who are currently serving along with home front heroes and heroines. We want to give people the opportunity to tell their stories. The Circle of Angels will have a program at USO Night and we will post the program online. Take this opportunity to support this event, also to tell your story, by following the links below. Volunteer Online Form Volunteer Word Document Registration Online Form Registration Word Document USO_Night_Sponsors_09.pdf