Memorial Day concert - Washington DC - 29 May '11

[Dave]

Nov 16, 2013 0:00:31 GMT gillette said:

Jun 3, 2011 2:32:04 GMT Dave said:

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Therefore, I have extracted and uploaded this very moving segment of the concert - culminating in Hayley's performance followed by the lone bugler. For anyone who is interested, it can now be found on the National Memorial Day page on the HWI website. I may be an old sentimentalist but I cannot recommend watching this video highly enough.

The people involved are: Michelle Baugh, daughter of Richard Githens who died in Vietnam when she was a baby, and his fellow soldier and friend Chuck Gregoire. Their moving story is told by Gary Sinese and actress AJ Cook and as you will have seen, Michelle has already tweeted her thanks to Hayley for her part in this tribute.

National Memorial Day Concert 2011 (Vietnam segment) 19 minute video

If your connection is less than 1 mbps, you may have to pause the video sometimes to let it catch up.

Cheers, Dave

Hi -
Hayley being in Viet Nam has brought to mind her Memorial Day performance in Washington, DC, in 2011.
You can see it at the link above.
Who would have thought that just two-and-a-half years later that she would be performing at the very area where Richard Githens died. Ha Noi, where she performed, (haven't seen anything on it yet to confirm), is in Quang Nam Province, the province given for his death in the site below.
www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/18708/RICHARD-E-GITHENS
BobS

Thank you Bob for posting a reminder of Hayley's performance that day as part of the Vietnam segment of the concert. The complete 19 minute video you linked to is one of the most moving performances Hayley has ever been involved in - and if A J Cook couldn't hold herself together while she told Michelle's story, what chance did Hayley have, singing immediately afterwards? Lots of soothing Ennio Morricone background music from The Mission during the telling of the story, too.

It was a very difficult performance for Hayley in the circumstances and I'm sure she will remember the story, Richard Githens and Michelle during her current visit to Vietnam. The thread about that is here hwi.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Concert&action=display&thread=6809

I believe that Quang Nam province, where Richard Githens is stated to have died, is near Da Nang in the former South Vietnam, which was a major US air base way back then (the busiest airport in the World at the time). Hayley is currently in or near Hanoi I think, which is well to the north, the capital of Vietnam and the former North Vietnam. I wonder if Hayley will get the opportunity to visit Quang Nam?

Dave

[gillette]

Nov 16, 2013 1:13:54 GMT Dave said:

I believe that Quang Nam province, where Richard Githens is stated to have died, is near Da Nang in the former South Vietnam, which was a major US air base way back then (the busiest airport in the World at the time). Hayley is currently in or near Hanoi I think, which is well to the north, the capital of Vietnam and the former North Vietnam. I wonder if Hayley will get the opportunity to visit Quang Nam?
Dave

Hi Dave,
The information that I have found so far has been rather scarce on Hayley's Viet Nam trip. From what I have gathered from the Creative Connections site, the main affair was to be held in Da Nang. Hayley was scheduled to have performed Friday evening serenading diners under the stars at a dining function to be held at Hoi An. That place is about 18 miles south of Da Nang, in another province, Quang Nam. Shuttle service between the two places was mentioned.
I was looking at a map that I found by Googling -quang nam province viet nam map- which shows both places as well as the outline of the province.
It was certainly great to be able to watch again that Memorial event that you put up.
BobS

PS
"Hayley is currently in or near Hanoi I think - -" Is that something else not connected to Creative Connections?

[Dave]

Hi Bob,

I'm also confused, I took my reference to Hanoi (Ha Noi) from your own post.

On further investigation, from a link in the Creative Connections thread www.standardcharteredevents.com/cc2013/hospitality-track.htm , it seems that Hayley was definitely scheduled to give at least one performance in Hoi An that you now mention. Hoi An is very close to Da Nang in central Vietnam and that would of course place Hayley very near the spot where Richard Githens died. I wonder if Michelle knows this?

That was a good bit of research you did there.

Cheers, Dave

[gillette]

Nov 16, 2013 13:20:46 GMT Dave said:

Hi Bob,

I'm also confused, I took my reference to Hanoi (Ha Noi) from your own post.



I wonder if Michelle knows this?

Cheers, Dave

(Ha Noi) Oh, oh! Never noticed it. Sorry about that. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Corrected it in my post, but see that it doesn't carry through (for good reason).

I was wondering that about Michelle, too. I noticed her recent posting under the Githens info.

BobS

[Libby]

It is 5 years ago today that Hayley performed at the National Memorial Day concert. I also discovered that May 29, 1968 is the day that Richie Githens died in Vietnam. I have never forgotten this story, and probably never will. I bet Hayley remembers it well, too, since she met Michelle Baugh, joined her at the Vietnam memorial wall, and of course, sang for her!

www.hayley-westenra-international.com/content/hayley-sings-pie-jesu-us-national-memorial-day-concert

[Richard]

Thanks for the memory, Libby!

I'll quote Michelle Githens-Baugh's moving story which she posted on our website:

www.hayley-westenra-international.com/content/hayley-sings-pie-jesu-us-national-memorial-day-concert#comment-169

This is Michelle Githens-Baugh, my father is Rich Githens, and I'm the woman who was in the front row, whose story was featured that night. Words cannot begin to describe the myriad of emotions that were going through me while the story was being played out. AJ and Gary did a truly amazing job. I believe I can speak for Chuck when I say we were both truly honored by the way they brought our story and Dad's story to life. It was so very well done, so beautifully done and with such compassion.

I thought I could take a deep breath when it was "over", but then Hayley took the stage. I need to say at this point that the previous day Hayley asked my son and I if she could accompany us to The Wall, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and we were honored to have her with us. I guess I had no idea why she really wanted to go. I realized later that she wanted to get a feel for the Memorial and the names etched on it.

As she began to sing, my heart responded in a way I simply can't explain, her voice, the words, the song, everything about it, spoke to me. Thank you for your beautiful song Hayley, thank you for meeting my father, for your visit that day...everything about that night was amazing, but that song just pulled at my heartstrings and spoke to my heart in a way...well, my reaction wasn't expected. Thank you for allowing me to show my love for my father in a way I usually don't. You are a truly beautiful person, inside and out! You have a gift that makes people open their heart!

Michelle, proud daughter of Rich, KIA 29 May 1968

Richard

[Libby]

I found Michelle's Twitter page again, and I liked this tweet:

[Joe]

I can't believe that it has been ten years to the day since this event!

[Libby]

Nov 16, 2013 1:13:54 GMT Dave said:

Nov 16, 2013 0:00:31 GMT gillette said:

Hi -
Hayley being in Viet Nam has brought to mind her Memorial Day performance in Washington, DC, in 2011.
You can see it at the link above.
Who would have thought that just two-and-a-half years later that she would be performing at the very area where Richard Githens died. Ha Noi, where she performed, (haven't seen anything on it yet to confirm), is in Quang Nam Province, the province given for his death in the site below.
www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/18708/RICHARD-E-GITHENS
BobS

Thank you Bob for posting a reminder of Hayley's performance that day as part of the Vietnam segment of the concert. The complete 19 minute video you linked to is one of the most moving performances Hayley has ever been involved in - and if A J Cook couldn't hold herself together while she told Michelle's story, what chance did Hayley have, singing immediately afterwards? Lots of soothing Ennio Morricone background music from The Mission during the telling of the story, too.

It was a very difficult performance for Hayley in the circumstances and I'm sure she will remember the story, Richard Githens and Michelle during her current visit to Vietnam. The thread about that is here hwi.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Concert&action=display&thread=6809

I believe that Quang Nam province, where Richard Githens is stated to have died, is near Da Nang in the former South Vietnam, which was a major US air base way back then (the busiest airport in the World at the time). Hayley is currently in or near Hanoi I think, which is well to the north, the capital of Vietnam and the former North Vietnam. I wonder if Hayley will get the opportunity to visit Quang Nam?

Dave

The link above reveals the video is now blank on the website, so it doesn't appear to be working anymore.

[Dave]

Thanks for pointing that out Libby, I have now added the short Youtube version back to the page www.hayley-westenra-international.com/content/hayley-sings-pie-jesu-us-national-memorial-day-concert

It disappeared because it was a direct upload to the website using flash video, which was the thing to use until the last year or two so many or most websites used it. But flash has now been discontinued, it has expired, gone to meet its maker. Flash video is no more, so there are probably plenty of other videos on the site that will need fixing in due course, with varying degrees of difficulty. Annoying.

I will have to upload the 19 minute version (the entire Vietnam segment) to Youtube, probably as an unlisted video (so not directly searchable on Youtube) though I haven't decided yet, what do people think? Either way, it will soon reappear on the page anyway.

[Libby]

Well, I know that for me, the emotion of the song was much more profound after having listened to the story beforehand. So it's worth watching if you have time.

[Dave]

I have recreated the 'lost' 19 minute Vietnam segment and uploaded it to Youtube. as unlisted:



It's also on our website at: www.hayley-westenra-international.com/content/hayley-sings-pie-jesu-us-national-memorial-day-concert where Michelle Baugh's lovely comments can now be viewed again at the foot of the page.

I'm still unsure whether to make it publicly available on Youtube (we might get some unwanted comments about the Vietnam War) but I could, I suspect, be persuaded otherwise... EDIT: I have indeed been persuaded otherwise, it's now public.

[comet]

Hi Dave,it could be posted with the comments turned off

[Joe]

Jun 2, 2021 13:10:11 GMT comet said:

Hi Dave,it could be posted with the comments turned off

Yes! ⬆️  I second it! 

[Dave]

Good idea Paul and thanks Joe and Libby for your comments. OK, I'll make it public in a minute, and watch the comments for a few days. If things become unpleasant I will turn them off.