Ohio State Marching Band remembers 9/11
Patriotic performance marks return to game day traditions
The Ohio State University Marching Band performed before an Ohio Stadium full of fans for the first time in more than 650 days with a halftime show remembering the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
“The Heroes of 9/11” program featured five distinct parts that paid tribute to 9/11 first responders and honored veterans across five branches of the U.S. military.
Music during the show included versions of “America the Beautiful,” “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” and Alan Jackson’s “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).” The band marched in formations representing an American flag, the Statue of Liberty and a bald eagle.
Central Ohio teen Chase Hamilton organized a large trumpet fanfare line in the first minute of the halftime performance as part of an Eagle Scout project. More than 150 external trumpeters joined the band’s 84 trumpet players to open the show.
The marching band also recognized the Honor Flight Network, an Ohio-based nonprofit that transports America’s veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit various war memorials. The marching band has a history of performing at Honor Flight’s “Welcome Home” ceremonies at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
The band last performed in the ’Shoe in front of a football crowd on Nov. 23, 2019, when the Buckeyes defeated Penn State.
