
Tenor Dennis McNeil filled American Martyrs Church for a Christmas concert of popular and religious music Sunday evening. The concert culminated in a performance of “Oh Holy Night” that swelled the church with all of the hope and joy of the season. The American Martyrs parishioner and former New York City Opera star was accompanied by keyboard player John Dickson, composer of the theme song for the cable hit “Burn Notice,” bass player Carlos Rivera and drummer Jamey Tate from the David Benoit trio. The parish choir and the dozens of kids who attended also joined in on several songs.

There are individual deaths, a sudden extinguishing of the flame, but generations gradually fade away. Ultimately, that’s what’s being documented in The Last Good War: The Faces and Voices of World War II, with photography by Thomas Sanders and interviews by Veronica Kavass. The book itself, however, pitches a slightly different line, which is that we need to hear these stories and appreciate these veterans while they’re still among us.