Joe Walsh will headline the November 3rd Vets Rock concert at Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. The Eagles guitarist, whose father died while on active duty in Okinawa, Japan when Joe was just 20 months old, has become a strong advocate for veterans and Gold Star families.
Joe Walsh on the death of his father, who served in the Army Air Corps:
"He was a instructor in the Army Air Corps. This was in 1949. And one day, Dad didn't come home. Simple as that. I grew up with anguish and sadness as a kid. So I know how the Gold Star families feel."
Joe Walsh explains how personal experience led him to start VetAid.org and raise money to help Gold Star families:
"There's a lot of Gold Star families out there where Dad didn't come back and the kids are lost. And that's another thing we're trying to do. The benefits aren't such that a Gold Star kid could go to college. So we're going work scholarships for kids that are getting ready to go to school and reach out to them."
The show which will benefit the USO Connecticut (USO), provide services and a good time for veterans will be hosted by Tony Orlando, who's also long been active in the cause.
On September 20th, Walsh will headline a concert for VetsAid, the charity he founded, at the Eagle Bank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia. Proceeds will go to Operation Mend, Hire Heroes USA, Warrior Canine Connection, TAPS, Semper Fi Fund, Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, Stop Soldier Suicide and Swords to Plowshares.
The guitarist says, “It’s the least I could do for those who have served and continue to serve our country. We’re all in this together as Americans and seems to me lately that people are forgetting that.”