West Seattle benefit for children of Cpl. Brandon Hocking

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An Army corporal killed in Iraq this past March had family with longtime ties to West Seattle – and a benefit show has been organized for this Saturday night. The announcement includes a request to RSVP by Thursday:

Saturday, June 4 · 7:00pm – 11:00pm
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VFW Post 2713 at 3601 SW Alaska
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In honor of US Army Sgt. Brandon S. Hocking, who lost his life on March 21st 2011 while serving in Iraq. Come join the event that brings together musicians who grew up and went to school with Brandon’s Mom Chris (Pitts) Dansereau, Stepdad Calvin (Dempsey) Dansereau, and Aunt Jodi (Pitts) Lascoumes, here in West Seattle.

“The Band of Brothers” will put two groups on stage for the evening, as part of a fundraiser for Brandon’s children. This is an all-ages show, with a $10 per person suggested donation at the door. This event is by invitation only, and space is limited, so please respond by June 2nd to secure your name on the invite list. Food and drinks will be extra and some items to be raffled off too. If you would like to donate items such as gift certificates, goods or services to be raffled, please contact me. [ Richard at rpmotorsports@yahoo.com, 206-225-0153 ]

The list of those musicians who have graciously offered their support, as well as the VFW Post 2713, are some of the best in Seattle, and they are our guys from right here, showing their true West Seattle support.

Rod Moody
Pat Tunison
Joe Bauer
John Bradley
Bill Reid
Monty Smith
Shel Van Taylor
Jon Sleight
Michael Wolfe
Mike Winston
Doug Marrapodi
Jay Marrapodi

According to this Seattle Times (WSB partner) story about Corporal Hocking’s death, he was 24, and survived by his wife and two preschool-age children.

MB June 1, 2011 (8:41 am)

Sounds like a fantastic event. Condolences to Brandon’s family.

alywest June 1, 2011 (11:09 am)

This is going to be a wonderful event!
Great Music from West Seattle Alumni.
Please come and support the family and all our men and women fighting for our freedom!
Fort Lewis has donated lots of food so all profits will go into a trust for the children of Brandon Hocking.

Steve June 1, 2011 (11:51 am)

The DripDrys! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IRctFN_11s

Anonymous June 11, 2011 (8:02 pm)

This is nice that you are putting on a benefit for this fallen soldiers children. But what i was curious about was, what about the other two STEP-children and his widowed WIFE? Will there be anything donated or for them? I would hope there would be something done, not just for two of the children but for the whole family that lost their father and husband…

pippen June 11, 2011 (8:07 pm)

Im personally very close friends with mrs. Hocking here in GA and its nice that people want to help but they are leaving out details in news reports and not speaking to her he also had to step children and his mother got everything if anyone is kind enough to help his wife and 4 kids they truly do need it

wlfsmoke51 June 11, 2011 (11:04 pm)

Ok.. a benefit such as this is wonderful.. but who is it really for.. Brandon Hocking paid the ultimate price for freedom for all of us.. My question is who is letting his wife know about this .. and is it not only for his two natural children but also the two stepkids.. he took responsibility for as husband of Havala. He loved them just as much. Why are they being forgotten?
why is not the widow and mother of the hockings children being informed.. or included .. in all this..sounds like someone is in denial of the facts.

FSWA June 11, 2011 (11:12 pm)

i JUST SEEN THE POST.HOW IN THE WORLD CANT SUCH A MAJOR INJUSTICE BE DONE.tO NOT ONLY HIS 4 CHILDREN 2 OF WHICH HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS AND THE OTHER TWO A WIFE OF 6 YEARS BUT. I HAVE SEEN EVERY POST ABOUT SGT BRANDON HOCKING.MAY HE REST IN PEACE.YEAH ITS ALL ABOUT THE MOM DAD AND THE SISTERS. THE WORLD KNOWS THAT.AND ITS TIME FOR THEM TO GET OF THE PITTY POT I AM DEEPLY SADDEN FOR THE PAIN .BUT ITS TIME FOR THE WORLD TO TAKE NOTICE OF THE FAMILY SGT HOCKING MADE FOR HIM SELF. WHEN HE TOOK A WIFE AND HAD 2 MORE KIDS A SIDE FROM HIS 2 STEPKIDS. MRS HOCKING WAS A DEVOTED WIFE AND MOTHER STOOD TALLER THEN ANY OTHER MILITARY WIFE I HAVE EVER KNOWN. ALL OF SGT HOCKINGS FAMILY HAD FORGOTTEN THE BIGGEST PART OF HIS LIFE .HE JOINED THE MILITARY TO BETTER HIS SELF AND HAVE HIS FAMILY.IE HIS WIFE AND HIS KIDS SO DO THE RIGHT THING AND NOTICE THE ONES HURTING MORE THEN THEM AT LEAST THEY CAN HOLD THERE LOVED ONES AND SAY I LOVE YOU.AND I KNOW FIVE PPL THAT WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO SAY THOES WORDS AGAIN TO THE BIGGEST BEST PART OF THERE LIFES.. IF YOU HAVE ANY RESPECT FOR WHAT SGT HOCKING AND HIS FAMILY WERE FIGHTING FOR YOU WILL DO THE RIGHT THING

Matt Myers June 11, 2011 (11:18 pm)

I know the family of the deceased is going through some terrible times, I have lost many a dear friend to similiar situations in Iraq. But to exclude the stepchildren is a disgrace. Those children looked up to CPL Brandon as their father. HE WAS THEIR FATHER! For the family to choose sides on who gets help is a travesty(sp). Without losing my cool here, I cannot believe the family of the deceased soldier would lower themselves to cut out the stepchildren. Brandon Married into that family children and all, and now the family feels they have the right to make decisions based on their financial/immoral ideals.
It makes me sick. I would Love and take care of all four of those kids if I could.
I swear I do not mean to be rude, but the Hocking family really needs to show some compassion.

“You can’t comfort the afflicted without afflicting the comfortable.”

Mrs Hocking June 11, 2011 (11:43 pm)

he was survived by morganna baker age 10 odian givens age 9 sebastian hocking age 4 gwenivere hocking age 3 plz stop saying he only had 2 kids he was a stepfather with kids that he loved and they loved him back just as i did and sill do his wife

Matt Marihugh June 12, 2011 (5:55 am)

This benefit is a great idea IF and ONLY IF the money is actually going to his wife and FOUR kids. I don’t see how that’s possible since she didn’t even know about the whole thing til yesterday.

WSB June 12, 2011 (6:01 am)

Hi folks, the announcement published here, on which suddenly there is a flood of commenting, is for an event that was a week ago. You are certainly welcome to leave comments as ours don’t close till three weeks after an item is published, but as site administrator, I’m pretty much the only person who’s going to see them, as we publish a high volume of material and most things are off the home page after a couple days. There is a contact listed in the announcement – which we published verbatim as it was received (the blue highlight in our format means it’s an exact quote or cut/paste), as we usually do with benefits – and I would advise you to consider contacting them if you have a concern.

Sorry, comment time is over.