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NORTH SALT LAKE Р It’s a chance to pay tribute to the people who serve our country. 

The Utah National Guard’s 23rd Army Band will return to North Salt Lake on Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. to perform in the city’s second annual 9/11 Memorial Concert. The free event, which will open with a brief community covenant signing, will be held on the ninth fairyway of Eaglewood Golf Course in North Salt Lake.

“We want to honor soldiers and first responders,” said North Salt Lake City Council member Matt Jensen, who plays French Horn with the group. “It’s an acknowledgement of everyone who lays their lives on the line for the community.”

The community covenent will tie into that acknowledgement as well. Jensen said that the covenant will show the city’s committment to taking care of veterans in the area.

“Communities all around the nation are signing them,” he said. 

Jensen, like the other members of the 23rd Army Band, knows the importance of service. Every member of the group is an official member of the Utah National Guard, and has to annually pass a physical test and qualify on the shooting range with an M-16. Their time committment is more flexible than the average Utah National Guard member С band members meet one Saturday and two Monday nights a month for practice and for any concerts they play. 

“Our mission is to play patriotic music and support the National Guard,” said Jensen. 

As part of this, the group often performs for soldiers as their planes leave and land at the airport. They’ve also performed at  Hill Air Force Base and the Army Depot in Tooele, as well as for the U.S. Embassy in Morocco. 

For more information check out the Sept.6 edition of Davis Clipper.