Alumnus honors fallen service members with music

BootheWEB

Capt. Daniel W. Boothe '06.

Capt. Daniel W. Boothe ’06 found a way to combine his desire to serve with his love of music when he became a conductor for the U.S. Air Force Bands.

The alumnus, who studied composition in the Radford University Department of Music, has traveled around the world, playing for fellow service members and offering an important boost to morale.

“I am extremely proud of my affiliation with Radford University and use every opportunity that I can to convey it,” Boothe said in a statement to the university.

The Salisbury, Maryland, native showed that pride in a recent interview with DelmarvaLife, a local television news program.

Recently, Boothe joined a Department of Defense project to produce video documentaries of dignified transfers, the process of moving a fallen service member from their transport craft to an appropriate mortuary vehicle. Each video is provided to family members of the fallen.

Boothe’s task was to produce an original piece of music that captured the solemnity, grief and pride in service on display during these transfers.

The project was an important one to Boothe and he was able to put skills learned at Radford University to use in his work.

“It was [a privilege] to use the composition skills I gained at RU to create this very special gift on behalf of our grateful nation,” Boothe’s statement continued.

See Boothe's interview with DelmarvaLife on YouTube

Jul 24, 2015