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Guided by two loves

By Kristie Grier Ceruti kgrier@theabingtonjournal.com
Editor

SCRANTON- Talia Walsh has two great loves: the late Sgt. Jan Argonish who she refers to as her “better half,” and sharing her voice in song.

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Talia Walsh, West Scranton, was selected as one of 15 semifinalists nationwide in the Star-Spangled Banner Singing Contest. She will find out May 19 if she is chosen to sing on Flag Day in Washington D.C.

Abington Journal/Don McGlynn

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Walsh, 26, said she knew instantly that she was drawn to both of them. She met Argonish in the summer of 2005, through her high school friends with whom he had served in Iraq. “I liked him the first day,” said Walsh, of West Scranton.

Her introduction to music came earlier, in second grade when she began playing the violin at school. She took a lead role in a seventh grade play at West Scranton Intermediate School, “The Clowns,” and from that point began singing the national anthem at school ceremonies and athletic events, even participating in district singing competitions. She was a vocalist in three local bands: Tin Pan Alley, Daddy-O and the Sax Maniax and most recently Take 5, until May 2008. Now, one of her jobs is doing announcements for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers AF2 team.

“I sing the national anthem for them for Heroes Night and on opening night.”

Singing on Heroes Night has a special significance. That love of her life Argonish, a Peckville native, died in the line of duty August 27, 2007. He was deployed in Afghanistan as part of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard 55th brigade attached to the first Infantry Division. He was a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom with nearly 10 years of service. “He was my biggest fan…He always wanted me to sing,” said Walsh.

Though she lost Argonish in life after only two years together, she said the man she had planned to marry continues to inspire her every day. Walsh said she remains close with Argonish’s sister Liz and his father, Mike, and talks with them every week. So, when they read earlier this year that The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History launched the Star-Spangled Banner YouTube Singing Contest, they convinced her to enter. Walsh said that from February to the second week in April, contestants were invited to upload a video of their performance after which people could vote by viewing. And despite the fact that her video was up for only one week during the voting period, Walsh was selected as one of 15 semifinalists nationwide.

“They emailed me…I was so excited,” said Walsh.

“These contestants were selected out of a diverse pool of 868 participants from all age groups, ethnic backgrounds and from across the country,” said Brent D. Glass, director of the museum. “We are proud that so many people are engaged with their flag and their anthem and joined our contest.” The semi-finalists were selected according to popularity on YouTube, vocal performance, originality and accuracy of lyrics.

All semi-finalists will receive a signed copy of the book “The Star Spangled Banner: The Making of an American Icon,” and their videos will be featured on the museum’s official Web site at http://americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/sing. The Museum is the home of the Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired the national anthem.

“It’s cool just to make the top 15,” said Walsh.

The grand-prize winner will be invited to perform the national anthem on Flag Day, June 14 at the museum and at the Baltimore Orioles versus Atlanta Braves game in Baltimore. The winner and a guest will receive a trip to Washington, D.C., including airfare, hotel accommodation for three nights, tickets and transportation to the game and $400.

The top video will be chosen by a panel of celebrities, Smithsonian judges and representatives from the Baltimore Orioles and USA Weekend Magazine. The winner will be announced May 19.

Walsh said the song is a special connection between her and Argonish. “He loved that song….He had recordings of me singing it… He said he only listened to it once (in Afghanistan)…it was too hard.”

She added, “I think…to sing on Flag Day, just the significance of what it is for…. he’d be happy I’m sure.”

Walsh continues to share her talents locally, through song and music. Though she’s on hiatus from the band scene, she plays violin and sings for friends at weddings. And she’ll be singing the national anthem at the Pioneers Heroes Night on May 23 in Wilkes-Barre. She said her family is a strong support as well, especially her father Paul and her mother Debby. “My mom gets so excited. My mom comes to everything.”

She credited the Pioneers with allowing her to tape her entry video for the contest using the sound system at their venue, “The owners Cosmo and Janet, they’ve been really supportive with me.”

And although sometimes it’s difficult to check her emotions, she finds strength in song and in Argonish. “At the games I get so excited… at Heroes Night it’s a little bit harder,” Walsh said. “It’s overwhelming, I get choked up sometimes, but not while I’m singing. It’s either before or after.”

“A week after he (Argonish) passed, I sang. The Scranton Eagles had a game to honor Jan and I sang the national anthem. I had a hard time. I just think if I didn’t sing it anymore, he’d be really sad.”

Walsh said that she feels it’s important to utilize your talents to the best of your ability. “If there is something that you’re able to do when there’s other people that can’t……whatever it is, why not do it?”

She likens it to organizing an annual Motorcycle Ride in Argonish’s honor. “The ride, sure it’s stressful, but I can raise money for guys who can’t do what they did every single day, so why not do it.”

The first annual Sgt. Jan Argonish Ride was held September 14, 2008 from the Milestone Ranch in Waverly. The event raised $25,000 in one day for the Sgt. Jan- Michael Argonish Memorial Fund, set up through Scranton Area Foundation to benefit local charities. Funds also provided care packages for four injured soldiers from the area who are recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “I didn’t know any of them prior,” Walsh said of the soldiers. “At the ride everybody signed get-well books.”

“I’ve never done something like that before,” Walsh said of organizing the event. Their goal was $10,000, and more than 800 people with 450 motorcycles came out in support. The ride went through Peckville, his hometown, and this year’s event will do so as well. There were flags everywhere and “yellow ribbons everywhere you looked,” she said.

The ride seemed fitting, she felt, because Argonish loved motorcycles, including his 2006 Honda Shadow, or as he called it, his “Honda Davidson,” which she has now.

This year’s event is set for September 13 at Milestone Ranch. Donations will be $20 per rider and $10 per passenger. Walsh said people can find out more at www.sgtjanargonish.com

Whether by organizing an annual motorcycle ride in Argonish’s memory, putting together personalized care packages for injured soldiers or simply staying in close contact with his family, his mom and dad, Nancy and Mike, and his 10-year-old son Jakub, or even singing in her car every day, Walsh keeps him in her heart.

She said it’s hard to make new goals. “All the things you plan to do- those things are gone in a second.”But through her singing and her career as an exercise specialist and wellness coach, “I just want to do everything I can that comes my way,” she said.

“I’m sure he’ll guide me.”

The following artists will select the winning performance: singer-songwriter DeLyn; Grammy Award-winning guitarist and singer Jose Feliciano; jazz keyboardist, composer and producer Marcus Johnson; and American singer-songwriter Jordin Sparks, the winner of the sixth season of TV’s “American Idol.” To view all entries in the contest, visit http://www.youtube.com/group/Starspangledbanner.