Go ahead and throw on a pair of thick, soft mittens or find a nice plush bath towel to place on your forehead because this story is going to have you saluting with such force you might otherwise knock yourself out.
Meet Jacob “Coby” Snell, a ska-loving patriot who shows his love of country by skanking to a ska version of the national anthem each morning at the 9/11 memorial in lower Manhattan. He has a Bluetooth speaker with a full battery, an American flag porkpie hat, red, white, and blue checkerboard Vans slip-ons; and enough sunscreen and water to skank for two whole hours before needing a break to reapply and rehydrate. Every day Snell is in downtown New York City is truly a “Party at Ground Zero.”
A beloved figure at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Snell usually isn’t told by security to “pick it up” (i.e. his belongings) until well into the afternoon. When they finally do ask that he move along, this freedom-loving model citizen respectfully follows their orders. He knows that law enforcement across this great nation are just trying to do their jobs and keep us safe. Thank you for your service gentlemen (and gentle ladies)!
Visitors are often unsure of what Snell, 47, is doing each day at the site of the deadliest terrorist attack in United States history. By skanking to a ska version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the original site of the World Trade Center, Snell is paying homage to the two great losses of his life: the end of the mainstream popularity of third wave ska music at the end of the 1990s, and the destruction wrought by the horrors of September 11th, 2001. This patriot was so devastated by these back-to-back tragedies, he thought he’d never recover. That is, until he combined these great cataclysms and journeyed “One Step Beyond” into skanking triumph.
Snell has dreams of one day traveling to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial to pay his respects to those who died in the second deadliest foreign attack in American history. He’s prepared a ska version of FDR’s “Day of Infamy” speech should the occasion ever arrive. Maybe his skanking can provide the people of Pearl Harbor with the same comfort and peace it’s provided the people of New York.
“The Impression That [Onlookers] Get” of Snell is of a man who loves his country and loves ska music. Through his brave, patriotic skanking, Snell is sending “A Message to You, [America],” and that is “Never Forget and God Bless the U.S.A.!”