The annual Pops in the Park will bring a two-star general and the Army Ground Forces Band to Wilder Tower for “A Celebration of Independence” in the nation’s oldest military park.

The event, a salute to all military personnel, active duty and veterans, is set for Saturday, May 27, at Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park.

“There is no better venue to host a patriotic concert,” said Mike Fuller, chief executive officer of Fuller Rehabilitation-Independent Living Aids. “It’s also a great family event. Where else can you have a fried chicken picnic, enjoy a moving musical performance and visit with friends and neighbors? And don’t forget the fireworks show.

“But most of all, this is a Memorial Day weekend event,” Mr. Fuller said. “It is a time to honor the soldiers who have given their lives protecting and defending this country.”

Maj. Gen. John A. Yingling of Alexandria, Va., will kick off the event at 7 p.m., followed by a performance by the Concert Band of the Army Ground Forces Band.

Maj. Gen. Yingling assumed duties as Deputy Commanding General at Headquarters, First U.S. Army, Fort Gillem, Ga., in 2004. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Field Artillery in 1975 after graduating from the Reserve Officers Training Corps program at Wake Forest University. Maj. Gen. Yingling has served in various field and command assignments. In addition to commanding Joint Task Force Six, his joint assignments include duty as a staff officer in the National Military Command Systems, J-36, at the Pentagon. His military education includes the Field Artillery Basic and Advanced courses; Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.; and the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.

His awards and decorations include: Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal with Two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Air Assault and Joint Staff Badges.

Headquartered in Atlanta, the Concert Band is the premier ensemble of the Army Ground Forces Band. Under the direction of the band’s commander, Capt. Paul R. Bamonte, this group maintains a large and varied repertoire that includes all facets of traditional and contemporary wind literature, as well as orchestral transcriptions, marches, instrumental and vocal solos, popular tunes, and patriotic music.

The ensemble has traveled throughout the U.S., performing in such notable halls as Severance Hall, Spivey Hall, and Woodruff Arts Center, and with numerous outstanding artists, such as the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and Miss America. Publicly recognized for its musical excellence, the band has twice been awarded the internationally-acclaimed Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands.

This is the fourth year that lead sponsor Fuller Rehabilitation – Independent Living Aids has supported Pops in the Park. Additional sponsors include Northwest Georgia Bank, Ringgold Telephone Company, Weeks and Peters Insurance, Hutcheson Medical Center, Wilkins, Crews and Associates, P.C.

For more information, call (706) 965-4430 ext. 125.

Maj. Gen. John A. Yingling