Circus salutes wounded warriors
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus performers open 'the greatest show on earth,' March 24 at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. The show was a salute to military heroes, with many wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and their families in attendance. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Torey Griffith)
Circus salutes wounded warriors
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus ® performers open 'the greatest show on earth,' March 24 at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. The March 24 show was a salute to military heroes, with many wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and their families in attendance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Torey Griffith)
Circus salutes wounded warriors
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus performers motivate the crowd before the show March 24 at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. The show was a salute to military heroes, with many wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and their families in attendance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Torey Griffith)
Circus salutes wounded warriors
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mike Williams, U.S. Army District of Washington, on behalf of the Sergeant Major of the Army, Raymond F. Chandler III, opens the show as honorary ringmaster March 24 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The show was a salute to military heroes, with many wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and their families in attendance.
Circus salutes wounded warriors
Members of the Military District of Washington Joint Service Honor Guard present the colors before the beginning of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus March 24 at the Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. The March 24 show was a salute to military heroes, with many wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and their families in attendance. (U.S. Air Force photos by Senior Airman Torey Griffith)
Circus salutes wounded warriors
Members of the Military District of Washington Joint Service Honor Guard present the colors before the beginning of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus March 24 at the Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. The March 24 show was a salute to military heroes, with many wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and their families in attendance. (U.S. Air Force photos by Senior Airman Torey Griffith)
Circus salutes wounded warriors
Members of the Military District of Washington Joint Service Honor Guard present the colors before the beginning of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus March 24 at the Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. The show was a salute to military heroes, with many wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and their families in attendance. (U.S. Air Force photos by Senior Airman Torey Griffith)
Circus salutes wounded warriors
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus members perform the opening act March 24 at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. The show was a salute to military heroes, with many wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and their families in attendance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Torey Griffith)
Circus salutes wounded warriors
A performer from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus dangles high above the crowd March 24 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The March 24 show was a salute to military heroes, with many wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and their families in attendance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Torey Griffith)
Circus salutes wounded warriors
Hailey Holt, daughter of Army Spc. Nicholas Holt, a driver for the Army District of Washington, shows Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mike Williams, U.S. Army District of Washington, her temporary circus tattoo, at the circus March 24 at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. The show was a salute to military heroes, with many wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and their families in attendance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Torey Griffith)
By Senior Airman Torey Griffith / Published March 30, 2011
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md.,
Thousands of smiling faces, young and old, filled the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. March 24 as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus presented their 140th edition of "the greatest show on earth" to a crowd of servicemembers and their families from the surrounding communities.
The show was a special tribute to those who have been injured in the line of duty. Wounded warriors and combat veterans from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, National Naval Medical Center, D.C., Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Quantico Wounded Warrior Regiment, D.C., area Fisher Houses and a USO Wounded Warrior "Night Out" group and their families were in attendance.
The Military District of Washington Joint Service Color Guard opened the show with the presentation of the colors, followed by a welcome by honorary ringmaster Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mike Williams from the Army District of Washington, on behalf of Sergeant Major of the Army, Command Sgt. Maj. Raymond F. Chandler III.
"I am here tonight because the circus wanted to recognize the military all across the country," said Command Sergeant Major Williams. "Our special guests are the wounded warriors.
The circus is all about putting a smile on everyone's faces. I look forward to seeing the men and women and their families who are going through trying times, to light up tonight at the circus."
Feld Entertainment Inc., the company that produces the circus as well as many other shows, has a long history of honoring veterans.
According to a press release, Feld Entertainment specializes in "producing and presenting live entertainment experiences that lift the human spirit and create indelible memories, with 30 million people in attendance at its shows each year."
Their productions have appeared in more than 70 countries on six continents and include Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Feld Motor Sports, Disney on Ice, and Disney Live.
"Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey has always been very military friendly," said Air Force General Dick Myers (ret.), Chair for National Security Leadership, Character and Ethics at National Defense University during the pre-show. "When they come to town, they always make it a special point to involve the military, and their families in particular. Tonight's event is for the wounded warriors who obviously need a break from their recoveries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. We understand how stressed their families are."
