COLLEGEDALE — The whipping winds did not stop the Collegedale Academy band players, who performed “America the Beautiful” and “Freedom” for Veterans Day from the lawn at Veterans Memorial Park of Collegedale.
“This is an important event,” said Rob Chaousy, a Marine Corps veteran and magician who was decked out in an Uncle Sam costume with head-to-toe stars and stripes.
Chaousy, who served from 1969-72, said he attends many veteran-related events in support of the GOP in his Uncle Sam getup.
His wife, Phyllis Chaousy, said among her husband’s many magician costumes, Uncle Sam was her favorite.
“He’s real. He relates to everybody,” Phyllis Chaousy said. “Some people might not like Prince, some people might not like Michael Jackson. Most people like America.”