Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band heading to Normandy, follow the journey via live stream

On Thursday, May 31, the Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band embarks upon a trip that bridges the present with the past. They will travel to Normandy, France, to perform at the 74th annual commemoration of the D-Day invasion that liberated Europe. In doing so, the band pays homage to their ancestors, members of “The Greatest Generation.”

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to join in a celebratory send-off for the band, starting at 10:30 a.m., May 31, at the Johnson Band Center. This opportunity is a tremendous honor for the marching band, in its fourth year. The Pride of Niner Nation is the only American band selected to perform.

Sousaphone player and veteran Curtis Chancy had two relatives who served in World War II. His great-uncle Stedman Chancy died in the 1944 landing at Normandy; his grandfather Isaiah Chancy fought there and survived.

In an article in the Charlotte Observer, written by Lawrence Toppman, the younger Chancy stated, “I didn’t know what my relatives had done until I realized I was going and did some research. Then I began to feel more connected to World War II. There’s a bond that connects all soldiers who have fought in any war, the experiences you went through and the thoughts of ‘Will I ever make it back?’

“These young men were handed guns and told ‘You’re going to fight in France.’ A lot of them had never been away from home. I’ve wondered, ‘How do you repay them?’ These concerts seemed like a way to do that, to give these guys some praise,” he noted.

UNC Charlotte, founded originally as the Charlotte Center in 1946, was established primarily to serve returning World War II veterans, and a special website Origins of Opportunity, chronicles the University’s connection to these brave military members, eager to take advantage of educational advances powered by the GI Bill, as well as how the University continues to serve its student-veteran population.

For Origins of Opportunity, University alumni, faculty, staff and students shared memories and stories of family members whose contributions to World War II – on the front lines and behind the scenes – helped shape the course of world history.

Ralph Henry Little, Shari Dunn’s grandfather, was a Flying Fortress gunner who survived a crash landing and endured time as a POW. Professor Emerita Susan Cernyak-Spatz was a teenager caught in the Holocaust; her future husband was a Midwestern GI with the second wave of D-Day. Gerald Houston Helms, remembered by his son Houston Helms, wrote home about how scared he was of the Japanese submarines that were chasing his ship. Read more War Stories here.

At 3 p.m. Eastern time, Wednesday, June 6, tune into a live stream presentation “Origins of Opportunity.” This webcast will provide coverage of the band’s performances in France and the reactions and perspectives of UNC Charlotte students as they witness where history was made on the shores of Normandy. The Popp Martin Student Union Theatre plans to hold a viewing party for the campus community at 3 p.m., June 6.

This program also will feature one of UNC Charlotte’s historians discussing the war, and the thoughts of Cernyak-Spatz, the Holocaust survivor and professor emerita.

In addition to live stream coverage, the campus and greater community can follow the Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band’s trip to Normandy through the University’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.