Concert will set stage for The Moving Wall

Michael J. Martin will perform a free concert in T. Spencer Knight Park on Sunday, June 1 at 2 p.m. The Newark Veterans Council has arranged for his visit as a prelude to a visit from The Moving Wall, which will be in Newark August 1-7.

The singer/songwriter/guitar player from Texas is a Vietnam veteran. He served twelve months "in the bush," with the 11th Infantry/Americal Division, class of 1968-'69. His decorations include the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Purple Heart, Bronze and Silver Stars.

Martin and long-time partner, Tim "Doc" Holiday, a Navy Corpsman in Vietnam, have performed all across the country, and are also co-founders of the veterans advocacy group, The Last Patrol, that has logged thousands of miles, marching on behalf of the POW/MIA issue and other concerns. One March in 1987, the group walked 1600 miles form the Alamo to the Wall in 66 days!

In late 1995, Holiday was diagnosed with throat cancer. His recovery has been long and difficult, so he has not yet been able to sing again, but still plays a crucial role in The Last Patrol.

Martin continues to perform solo at concerts, clubs, pubs, colleges, churches, prisons, military bases, museums, biker bars, hospitals and honky-tonks. He's played outdoor music festivals for thousands, and played his heart out for empty rooms. Martin says he lives the songs he writes and sings. His concerts are said to bring The Moving Wall to life - "It's a program born of yesterday. It's a program performed for today. It's a program you'll remember tomorrow."

Moving Wall Web site, http://www.iinc.com/MovingWall/

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