Stand Ye Steady
April 15, 2010

Have you ever came across a book, movie, song, or another experience that you made others aware of it?

Well, that is the case with me me about a wonderful, inspiring hour . . . experiencing the "Stand Ye Steady - Songs of Courage and Inspiration" DVD . . . which I highly recommend that you do so yourself . . . as it will be memorable!

For the first time ever, the USMA Cadet Glee Club of West Point has been filmed and recorded in the magnificent 100 year-old Cadet Chapel performing sixteen specially selected songs hailing the cherished values of America.

"Stand Ye Steady - Songs of Courage and Inspiration" was conceived and created by Curtain Call Productions to show support for all the Men and Women who have served and are now serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Set against the richly paneled Chapel altar and eighty Cadets splendidly arrayed in parade dress uniforms, the performance is highlighted with archival photographs and film footage of our Soldiers from WWII through the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Stirring excerpts from the speeches of Generals Eisenhower and MacArthur introduce four of the songs.

Joining the USMA Cadet Glee Club are two special guests - recording artist Daniel Rodriguez of NYPD fame, gives a rousing performance of his hit, "Into The Fire" (see video) and Lea Salonga, Tony Award winner for Miss Saigon and the voice of Jasmine in Aladdin, gives a powerfully moving performance of the Christian music classic Via Dolorosa (see video clip of this song and others).

Four of the songs... This Christmastide, Jerusalem, Lest We Forget, and On Lone Great Hills feature the Chapel's mammoth organ the largest church organ in the world! The music arrangements were by world-renowned Don Fraser and mixed by Gold Record Producer John McCracken (Michael Crawford's On Eagle's Wings) and seven-time Grammy winner Richard King at Sony Music Studios in New York City. This 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound performance offers the viewer an intimate, powerful and inspiring experience.

Moreover, "Stand Ye Steady - Songs of Courage and Inspiration" DVD has been broadcast on PBS, TBN, Daystar TV and the Armed Forces Network . . . making its DVD a collectible . . . And a portion of the proceeds from the DVD's sales support the Yellow Ribbon Fund and other organizations that assist those soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan along with their families.

I also think after you experience the "Stand Ye Steady - Songs of Courage and Inspiration" DVD that you will agree with the following heartfelt words that Doug Coppi, the producer, shared with me...

• Families have used the music at memorial services to help honor their family members who have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• General David Hicks, Chief of Chaplains for the U.S. Army, took the DVD with him to Iraq to celebrate Christmas with the troops.

• Senior Chaplain Major John L. Kallerson at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and combat veteran believed the DVD and CD contained the finest collection of inspirational music he had heard during his service to the country.

• Deborah Freiberg, a soldier wounded in Iraq, listens to the music for motivation during her rehabilitation sessions and plays the DVD “full-blast” whenever her family gets the chance.

• Chaplain Steve Feriante from the Warrior Chapel in Iraq said the music from Stand Ye Steady was a magnificent production and a great source of encouragement and comfort to his soldiers some of whom have had multiple deployments.

• Retired Admiral Jack Snyder, one of America's great fighter pilots wrote that the music “knocked him over” and gave a copy to the Secretary of the Air Force Mike Wynne.

• Marine Sergeant Reid Hollander says the DVD represents a standard of excellence and a tinge of spirituality which is absent in the broader culture. He goes on to say, “it takes me outside of myself and reminds me of greater truths”.

• Navy Chaplain, Ted Williams, serving with a Marine unit in Fallujah, Iraq, saw it on the Armed Forces Network after a day of combat and said it was a “blessing and inspiration”.

• A veteran of the D-Day landings in 1944 attended the 60th Commemoration Ceremonies in France and said, “A very, very great CD...the songs strike a cord that doesn't always get heard”.

• A wife whose husband had just returned from 14 months in Afghanistan used the music in a slideshow she made as a gift for him which included pictures of his deployment and he was moved to tears and “they will cherish” it forever.

• Reverend Vince Turner from Boston said it was absolutely superb and awesome and that those who serve or have served have “a unique and special identity” with Stand Ye Steady.

• A woman who makes quilts for the soldiers returning home said the minute she heard the first song, it sent chills up her spine. She continued, “wonderful music doesn't even begin to describe it!”

• The parent of a first year West Point Cadet says, “there are no words good enough to express all the thoughts and feelings this work evokes".

• A high school band leader played the DVD for his students in the marching band and found not a dry eye in the room (from teenagers no less!)

• An elderly woman from Alabama said, “Words can not express how beautiful this album is. The voices of the men seem to me to say ‘This is what a man is. Courage. Faith. Faithfulness. Honor'".

• A couple who saw it broadcast on TV during the 4th of July thought it was absolutely beautiful and that it “blew away” the other ceremonies being broadcast that evening from Boston and Washington. They said “I wish the rest of the country could have been treated to just a sample of the thrilling and inspiring music...”

• One viewer of the DVD said, “All of America needs to see this to appreciate our service people and how God has truly blessed our nation.”

• "... Stand Ye Steady is a necessary component for the music library of military families and patriots of all political stripes. Truly inspiring." -- R.J. Carter, The Trades

Have a great time enjoying the heart touching "Stand Ye Steady - Songs of Courage and Inspiration" DVD . . . and remember that it would make a great gift for a loved one who is serving in the military or is a veteran.

David G. Bancroft
Founder / Owner
USA Patriotism!
Copyright 2010