2011 American Freedom Festival San Diego

2nd Annual American Freedom Festival
San Diego May 28, 2011
USS Midway Museum, San Diego, CA

The
 2nd
 Annual
 American
 Freedom
 Festival
 San
 Diego
 held
 May
 28
 aboard
 the
 USS

Midway
 Museum
 was
 a
 night
 worth
 remembering.
 Themed
 “Families
 of
 the
 Fallen”
 and
 after
 an
 amazing
 version
 of
 the
 national
 anthem
 by
 the
 Navy
 Chorus,
 Laurel
Tsirimokos
 wrote
 and
 narrated
 a
 wonderful
 tribute
 to
 the
 fallen
 orchestrated
 by
 the
 Marine
 Headquarter
 Squadron
 3
 Honor
 Guard
 building
 the
 Battlefield
 Cross.
 It
 left
 everyone
 speechless
 and
 started
 our
 evening
 off
 on
 just
 the
 right
 note.
 
 Thanks
 so
 much 
to 
Laurel.

  Job
 well
 done!





 SMA
 Tilley,
 our
 host
 for
 the
 evening,
 took
 the
 stage
 and
 introduced
 the
 marketing
 director
 for
 the
 USS
 Midway
 Museum,
 Mr.
 Scott
 McGaugh.
 
 After
 a
 short
 history
 of
 the
 museum,
 Scott
 read
 a
 welcome
 letter
 from
 Mr.
 Jerry
 Sanders,
 Mayor
 of
 San
 Diego.
 The
 staff
 and
 crew
 of
 the
 USS
 Midway
 Museum
have
 been
 great 
partners
 on
 this 
event
 that 
kicks
 off 
their
 Legacy
Week.



SMA
 Tilley
 brought
 out
 LCDR
 Dr.
 Andrew
 Baldwin,
 physician,
 humanitarian, former
 Navy
 Seal,
 former
 star
 of
 the
 TV
 Series
 “The
 Bachelor”
 and
 founder
 of
 one
 of
 the
 evening’s
 charitable
 partners,
 Got
 Your
 Back
 Network
 (GYBN).
 GYBN 
hosted 10
 families of 
the
 fallen
 for 
the
 evening’s
 festivities.

They 
all 
had
 a
 great
 time
 as
 the
 event
 provided
 some
 welcomed
 relief
 from
 the
 issues
 they
 have 
to
 deal
 with
 everyday
 having
 lost
 a 
loved 
one
 in
 war.


For
 our
 first
 musical
 performance,
 KYXY’s
 Sam
 Bass
 brought
 out
 the
 U.
 S.
Army’s
 Rena
 Marie
 Cunningham
 from
 the
 Indiana
 National
 Guard.
 
 Rena
 gave
 a 
great 
performance
 and 
is 
sure
 to
 have 
a 
promising
 future!


SMA
 introduced
 our
 long
 time
 partner
 and
 co‐host,
 Karri
 Turner,
 and
 CEO
 of
 our
 presenting
 sponsor,
 SKYDEX,
 Mr.
 Mike
 Buchen,
 to
 present
 our
 charitable
 contributions
 for
 the
 evening.
 
 Mike
 hosted
 45
 soldiers
 from
 Ft.
 Irwin
 who
 were
 acknowledged.
 
 What
 a
 great
 gesture,
 Mike!

  Then
 he
 shocked
 the
 whole
 crowd
 by
 presenting
 SMA
 Tilley
 with
 a
 $25,000
 check!
 
 SMA
 welcomed
 the
 evening’s
 beneficiaries
 to
 the
 stage:
  United
 Through
 Reading,
 Big
 Brothers
 Big
 Sisters
 of
 San
 Diego
 County,
 Got
 Your
 Back
 Network,
 San
 Diego
 Armed
 Services
 YMCA
 and
 Veterans
 Village
 of
 San
 Diego.
 These
 fine
 organizations
 provide
 such
 great
 services
 to
 our
 veterans,
 active
 duty
 military
 and
 military
 families.
 
 It
 is
 with
 great
 honor
 and
 privilege
 that
 we
 were
 able
 to
 presented
 $50,000
 in 
contributions!


Sam
 Bass
 took
 the
 stage
 and
 introduced
 the
 legendary
 singer/
 songwriter
 Kenny
 Loggins.
 To
 say
 his
 performance
 was
 magical
 and
 electric
 would
 be
 an
 understatement.
 
 He
 wowed
 the
 crowd
 and
 captured
 the
 essence
 of
 the
 evening
 with 
a
 stunning
 performance. 

Thanks,
Kenny!



Everyone
 seemed
 to
 have
 a
 great
 time
 and
 participated
 enthusiastically
 in

this
 great
 tribute
 to
 the
 Families
 of
 the
 Fallen!
 Thanks
 to
 all
 those
 who
 attended
 and
 to
 our
 sponsors
 who
 together
 helped
 make
 this
 a
 night
 to 
remember!
 


Photographs courtesy of Erin O'Leary - eoleaphotography.com and Nick Olson