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Veteran to be Roadie for a Day for KISS
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
KISS is putting its money where its rock is.
The band has donated $150,000 to Hiring Heroes, a group that finds good jobs for ex-servicemen and women. At each concert on its current Freedom to Rock tour, the band also pauses to pay tribute to U.S. military personnel and veterans.
With the help of Hiring Heroes, the band is also selecting a veteran to work as a Roadie for a Day at each city.
At Friday’s concert at Youngstown’s Covelli Centre, that honor will go to retired Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kathy Gregory of Dayton.
Reached by phone Tuesday, Gregory called it an “awesome opportunity.”
The band has already sent Gregory a camouflage T-shirt to wear Friday that bears the KISS logo. She will report to Covelli Centre on Friday and will help backstage in the VIP area before the concert. Gregory will be on stage for the salute to servicemen during the show, which will include a ceremonial check presentation and a rocking version of the national anthem.
“I’m excited about it,” said Gregory, who now works as a nurse at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. “The chance to meet KISS and represent veterans is something I’ll never forget.”
As a KISS fan, Gregory is also a veteran. She recalls seeing the band in the 1970s at Hara Arena in Dayton. “I remember standing up front by the stage and seeing [bassist] Gene Simmons,” she said. “It’s a chance to relive what we did back then.”
Gregory will be accompanied by her husband, Don, who plays the drums and is also a fan of the band. The couple will leave Dayton after work Thursday and spend two nights in a Youngstown-area hotel.
Gregory applied for the Rroadie for a Day honor in June. Coincidentally, she has a sister who was also selected for the honor at the KISS concert at Nutter Arena in Dayton on Monday.
The Roadie for a Day program dovetails with Hiring Heroes’ goal of putting veterans into meaningful careers.
“KISS has been a fantastic partner,” said Jack Norton, spokesman for Hiring Heroes. “We have a vast network of military personnel, veterans and military communities, and this program is right in our sweet spot. They get to see the backstage experience, meet the band, and promote our program.”
Hiring Heroes is based in Washington, D.C., and is a project of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It was founded five years ago and has already helped thousands of veterans, said Norton.