Feb. 2, 2020 - ILOPANGO, El Salvador –
A return engagement by the New Hampshire National Guard's 39th Army Band and a historic first-ever KC-46A flyover at the Ilopango Air Show punctuated a weekend of celebration in El Salvador, Feb. 1 - 2.
The festivities commemorated the 20th anniversary of the NHNG and Salvadoran military's state partnership program.
Salvadoran Minister of Defense Reñe Merino and N.H. Adjutant Gen. David Mikolaities attended a celebratory cake-cutting, which featured a proclamation by N.H. Gov. Chris Sununu.
The proclamation read in part, “Since the year 2000, the New Hampshire National Guard and El Salvador’s Armed Forces have developed a model State Partnership Program, forging a relationship built on trust and professionalism that has accounted for more than 200 security cooperation agreements."
The band's citizen-soldier musicians performed in 90-degree temperatures before thousands in attendance. Their set list included Bruno Mars and The Hooligans’ halftime show from the 2014 Super Bowl, and covers of “Uptown Funk” and “Shut Up and Dance.”