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Health & Fitness

Heroes in our Midst - 100 Reasons I Love Peekskill - Post 96

Heroes in our Midst. Last week an online entertainment booking site posted a lead asking for a magician to donate a show for the families of returning combat veterans. It was for Saturday at noon. I was free. The location was the Peekskill Armory in Washington Street - five minutes from my loft. It was a no brainer. I instantly signed up.

I'd driven by the Armory many times but had never been inside. When I got there, dozens of cars lined the driveway and the street. I walked into a cavernous room and a holiday party in full swing - music, lots of food, lots grownups eating, and lots of kids getting their faces painted and playing in a bouncy castle.

This was a company of the National Guard, and this holiday party was very, very special. The soldiers had returned from Afghanistan in July after a year-long deployment. For some of them, this was their second or even third tour of duty overseas. Each deployment took them away from their jobs and their families for an entire year. Many of the children were very young and had spent a big chunk of their lives without their dads. I was told that at last year's holiday party, also held at the Peekskill Armory, a large screen was put up and the soldiers attended via Skype. This year it was a real, not virtual party.

As soon as I started I knew it would be an extra special show. The kids "oooh-ed" and "aaah-ed" at absolutely everything. One of the secrets of my magic show is that it's for the kids, but it's also for the parents. I use a lot of kids as onstage helpers, which is when the camera phones always come out. I was told afterwards that one boy who rarely smiles was smiling during my show. That made me so happy.

Afterwards the company's leader, Captain Jon Santana, totally unexpectedly, presented me with a medal! It means much more to me than any amount of money they could've paid me. I'll treasure it always.  

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