From the reverberating boom of gunfire to patriotic melodies, Consol Energy Center will be infused this weekend with the "Spirit of America" by more than 300 active-duty soldiers.

The shows today and Saturday will comprise re-enactments of key moments in American and Army history by soldiers in historical uniforms. Included will be battle scenes with short periods of simulated gunfire, and performances by the Army's elite ceremonial units. The event is free, but no tickets are left.

The performances are offered in only two other locations this year: Highland Heights, Ky., and Grand Rapids, Mich. "Spirit of America" was begun 35 years ago and, until 2002, was performed only in the Washington, D.C., area, where the soldiers are stationed. They belong to the Army's elite ceremonial units, the Army Band "Pershing's Own" and the 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard).

The show initially was to start traveling in 2001, but those plans were canceled because of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon, said spokeswoman Kristen Parker. Some of the participants in this weekend's program were among first responders to that attack.

The first-responder status of the soldiers in the performance units has influenced the show's itinerary.

"They are considered guardians of the nation's capital," Ms. Parker said, and are usually scheduled no farther than a day's drive from Washington.

Pittsburgh is the only city that will have hosted the event three times. Ms. Parker said organizers are "excited to be in the new arena" where they estimate an audience of 10,500 for each of the four shows.

Participants from this region include Staff Sgt. Aaron D. Scott, a graduate of North Hills High School who attended Youngstown State University and University of Cincinnati. He is a clarinet player with the Army Band.

"The Pittsburgh crowds seem to bring an energy to any show," he said. "I think any Pittsburgher would know how I feel when I say it's great to be back in Blitzburgh."

Sgt. Major Paul A. Murtha, a Johnstown native who attended Johnstown Vo-Tech High School and Duquesne University, is chief arranger, composer and audio consultant with the Army Band. He is a very distant relative of the late U.S. Rep. John Murtha but didn't know him.

Sgt. Murtha's grandmother told him that the Murthas came to America from Ireland in the 1850s, first to New York and then Cambria County. Half of them, including his ancestors, settled in northern Cambria County. The others, from whom the congressman was descended, settled in the south.

Also having local origins are Spc. Zachariah Baker, a native of Prospect, Butler County, and graduate of Slippery Rock High School, who is a Company A actor/understudy; Staff Sgt. Rebecca A. Davidson, a Boardman, Ohio (near Youngstown), native, who attended Boardman High School, Oberlin College and the University of Cincinnati, and is a fife instrumentalist with the Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps; and Staff Sgt. Dean Miller of Uniontown Area High School and West Virginia University, a euphonium player with the Army's Ceremonial Band.

First Published: September 10, 2010, 4:00 a.m.