Before Bill Cahir was killed in action in Afghanistan, he served his country his whole life as a Marine and journalist.
This weekend, State College band Chuck Mason and Blue Reality will honor that service with "The Sgt. Bill Cahir Benefit Concert."
To be held Saturday at the State College Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post, 139 N. Barnard St, the concert will benefit the Bill Cahir Memorial Fund, which supports the education and welfare of Cahir's children and his wife, Rene.
Cahir, a 1990 Penn State alumnus, served two tours in Iraq and another in Afghanistan before his Aug. 13 death. He was also a 2008 congressional candidate. Cahir's parents attended the series' first benefit show last month at Café 210 West, 210 W. College Ave., said John Cahir, Bill's father. John Cahir said the series is a kind gesture for his son, who he remembers as "a wonderful man in every way."
"We're so proud and grateful for the concern of the State College community and the Penn State community," John Cahir said. "They've been marvelously supportive of us. Even though we're devastated and always will be, we greatly appreciate the outpouring of support."
Chuck Mason developed the concert series with Mike Hendrickson, an assistant for program development at Penn State's Applied Research Lab. Mason said his own family has a long history of military service, which inspired him to put together the concert series.
"I've always been interested in people from Penn State who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, especially those who haven't come home," Hendrickson said. "And Bill Cahir was a great Marine and a role model for a lot of people. It was a no-brainer to do something for the family."
Mason's band plans to host two more concerts to support Cahir's family. The band will play at Elk Creek Café + Aleworks in Millheim, Pa., on Feb. 28 and The Arena, 1521 Martin St., on March 12. The first show at Café 210 West brought in about $1,000 for the memorial fund. While Mason's band will host the event, the VFW is helping to orchestrate it by donating the hall, post manager Don Stine said.
"We feel proud and privileged to help the man's family out," Stine said.
