Publisher Desc.  "American Veteran" attempts recreate both the sounds of battle and the vast array of emotions as experienced by those touched by war. This piece represents the complexities yet unpretentious circumstance of American sacrifice. The listener as well as the performers will be confronted with a story of one World War II volunteer soldier in the Pacific Theater whose experience represents that of the thousands of American soldiers over the past 3 centuries. This narrated work embodies fresh arrangements of patriotic themes as well as original motifs and innovative uses and placement of percussion to hopefully establish a novel level of aural communication specifically regarding those who have no knowledge of war and the sacrificial perseverance that has shaped America today. Whether it be a Veterans Day program contest/festival setting or any concert American Veteran with its tone poem programmatic format and flexible conductor/ensemble performance practice will captivate the audience and motivate your ensemble to take ownership of the literature resulting in higher level musical proficiency!