My journal entry from that day is below. There weren't many words to describe what I was seeing so I used photos found online in the days that followed. I was 21 years old and in my 4th year at NIU.
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A few weeks later on September 29th, the NIU Huskie Marching Band joined the University of Toledo Marching band at their stadium for a combined performance of "God Bless the USA" and "Stars and Stripes Forever". I still tear up when I remember the feeling of playing that piccolo soli. I barely got through it that day.