Veteran Walter Latiolais

The Iberia Cultural Resources Association (ICRA) hosted a beautiful closure to their free concert season with the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra’s “Stars and Stripes” concert Sunday at the Sugar Cane Festival building.

One veteran’s smile stood out among the rest.

It belonged to nearly 97-year-old World War II veteran Walter Latiolais Sr.

Near the end of the war, Latiolais served as a medic. He boarded a ship to an unknown destination, but it was caught up in a typhoon for four days. When they came out, the war had ended, and his platoon was rerouted to Yokohama Japan, where he served with the occupying forces.

Latiolais is among the last surviving WWII veterans in the area and the only to appear for the performance, so he sat front and center. According to organizer Nelwyn Hebert, 31 veterans appeared.

Becky Collins with the ICRA said a major challenge faced in planning this event is keeping an up-to-date list of veterans. To combat this in the future, she urges all veterans and their family members to send in their names so they can be included and appreciated by the community.

“If you are a veteran and you have never gotten in touch with us to let us know who you are and where you are, we would love to send you a letter,” Collins said.

Collins also stressed the ICRA’s appreciation for the sponsors and patrons. Without their donations, New Iberia would no longer be a Louisiana musical rarity as the only town in the state with four free-to-the-public symphonies a year. Sponsors included LHC Group, Acadian Home Care, Acadiana Lifestyle Magazine, The Daily Iberian, Iberia Parish Government, KANE 1240 AM radio and Sir Speedy Printing.

Several non-veterans attended, many of whom had a family member in the armed forces. Phyllis Richard brought her mom, Debbie to the performance. Her brother, Phillip Richard, served in the Marine Corps and retired as a Gunnery Master Sergeant. After retirement, he moved to San Antonio with his family, so he couldn’t attend these concerts, but Miss Phyllis still takes her mom out to enjoy the concert and support veterans.

Corey Porter, president of the Iberia Parish Veterans Organization (IPVO), led the concert with a prayer, followed by IPVO’s presentation of the flag.

A diverse cast of local and traveling musicians filled the orchestra. Some are full-time musicians, while others have jobs outside of music. One thing they all share is dedication to their craft. According to Acadiana Symphony Orchestra conductor David Torns, they’ve all honed, yet diversified, their skills so they can play many genres well. Jazz featured heavily as a theme for the concert, contrasting against the meticulously structured patriotic tracks, but the orchestra nailed each.

“Jazz is an American tradition, so we wanted to incorporate that into the orchestra and show off some of the other qualities they can play. They are very versatile musicians, so you know, they don’t always have to play Mozart and Beethoven, they can certainly switch to some of this Duke Ellington,” Torns mused.

The program, consisting of patriotic marches and jazzy ensembles, proved to be unexpectedly emotional. The highs had your heart swelling with pride and cheer, only for the lows to drop you into sullen reflection. The Acadiana Symphony Orchestra displayed incredible talent in every rendition. Torns said their goal as musicians is to stir emotions, and the nature of the concert served to do just that.

“I think to all musicians, it’s a very serious thing to make the audience feel like they are honoring their veterans and their family members. When we play even a simple tune like “America The Beautiful, it has meaning and brings back memories for people,” Torns said with a sincere enthusiasm.