USO Canteen FReeper Style....Military Bands in War and Peace....June 18,2002

Various graphic sites and presented by AFVetGal and Snow Bunny

[Snow Bunny]

Many American historic events occurred with the support of a military musical unit. Prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, colonial soldiers marched to the music of fifes and drums. During the Civil War, military leaders on both sides relied on military musicians to entertain troops, position troops in battle, and stir the troops on to victory.

Military bands have a brilliant history. Army bands, such as the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and the 1st Infantry Division, received decorations for their performance in combat. Other bands have entertained at official functions, entertained troops, and traveled throughout the world aiding public relations inside and outside of the United States.

Their MISSION

Military bands support the global military mission in war and peace by fostering our national heritage and by providing professional musical products and services for official military, recruiting and community relations events.

They also provide an essential element in maintaining troop morale, retention and recruiting efforts.

Bands play a key role in cultivating positive relations with many communities interacting with military units. In addition, bands enhance public relations efforts with those communities outside the local areas of our military installations. In public concerts, parades and ceremonies, bands keep alive and enrich American musical heritage while projecting the image of the service to which they belong.

Organization

Military bands are classified as premier bands which are located in and around Washington, DC and regional bands. Bands are organized so that they may be subdivided into several smaller musical units capable of performing autonomously. The number, size and musical capabilities of these groups depend on the overall size of the band and the local or regional needs.

"Single out moments of national significance and joy, times of sadness and pain... the United States Marine Band has been there." - Reader's Digest

US Marine Corps

The United States Marine Band has been part of the events that have shaped our national heritage for more than two centuries. Its omnipresent role in events of national importance has made it part of the fabric of American life.

Established by an Act of Congress in 1798, the Marine Band is America's oldest professional musical organization.

Whether performing for South Lawn arrival ceremonies, State Dinners, or receptions, Marine Band musicians appear at the White House more than 200 times each year. These performances range from a solo harpist or chamber orchestra to a dance band or full concert band, making versatility an important requirement for band members.

Additionally, the band participates in more than 500 public and official performances annually, including concerts and ceremonies throughout the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Each fall, the band travels through a region of the United States during its concert tour, a century-old tradition started by the band's legendary 17th Director John Philip Sousa.

As Director from 1880-1892, Sousa brought "The President's Own" to unprecedented levels of excellence and shaped the band into a world-famous musical organization. During his tenure, the band was one of the first musical ensembles to make sound recordings. Sousa also began to write the marches that earned him the title "The March King."

Also during 1998, the Marine Band became the only organization to be inducted in the inaugural class of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in Cincinnati. As the Marine Band enters its third century, it continues a tradition of excellence that earned it the title, "The President's Own." Whether in White House performances, public concerts, or national tours, the music of the Marine Band is the music of America.

Oct. 1, 1880, 25-year-old John Philip Sousa was appointed 17th Leader, a post he held for 12 years. During this time, the band made its first concert tour, premiered many of Sousa's most famous marches, and produced some of the first phonograph recordings ever made.

MGySgt. Dennis Wolfe, 32nd Drum Major of "The President's Own," conducts the Marine Band during its 1998 Bicentennial gala concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

Combining music of Sousa with images of Lenin, the Marine Band toured five cities in the former Soviet Union, becoming the only American military band to tour the USSR before its transformation into independent states.

US Army Band

For over 78 years, The U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" has maintained a tradition of excellence as the premier musical organization of The United States Army.

The Band was founded in 1922, by Army Chief of Staff General John J. "Blackjack" Pershing to emulate European military bands he heard during World War I. The Band continues to play an important role in events of national and international significance, staging performances from the battlefields of World War II to our Nation's Capital.

During its early years, The Band became widely known and critically acclaimed for radio broadcasts featured on several networks, including RCA, CBS and the Mutual Broadcasting Network.

In June 1943, The Band was called overseas to perform first in North Africa and then battle-weary Europe, returning to U.S. soil in June 1945. The Band received a battle streamer for their efforts during the Rhineland Campaign and is the only Washington-based military band to have participated in a theater of foreign combat operations.

Throughout the 60's, 70's and 80's, The Band continued to perform and serve with distinction. In 1963, The Band participated in the funeral of President John F. Kennedy with Army Band Bugler Keith Clark performing Taps at the graveside service in Arlington National Cemetery.

Also during this era, The Army Blues jazz ensemble, The United States Army Chorale and The United States Army Brass Band were officially established as regular performing ensembles.

The United States Army Europe Band, performed at the Normandy American Cemetery on Memorial Day before President George W. Bush and French President Jacques Chirac. The band performed ceremonial music for this event, including the U.S. and French anthems. After President Bush made his Memorial Day address, he and French President Jacques Chirac laid wreaths together. After a 21-gun salute, the colors were raised as a bugler performed Taps.

U.S. Army Herald Trumpets performed on center stage during the 2002 Winter Olympics to one hundred thousand people and a worldwide audience of one hundred million. Horns up, Four Ruffles and Flourishes and Hail to the Chief are played. The President of the United States steps out and stands at attention. One of the Heralds, SFC Jerry Amoury describes a moment that he will never forget for the rest of his life as the American Flag that was recovered from the World Trade Center is carried out. "Deafening silence. If my eyes had been closed I would have sworn that I was in an empty room. I don't think it was silent for any other reason than that every single person there was thrust into their own personal thoughts concerning the magnitude of the event that flag represents. It was an overwhelming experience, he said."

US Air Force Band

The United States Air Force Band is a musical organization with an outstanding record of achievement.

During one of its first U.S. tours in the 1940s, The Band was congratulated and recognized by music critics across the nation. The U.S. Air Force Band has pioneered the concept that a musical organization can be a nation's most effective goodwill ambassador. This concept has been proven through 17 international tours, covering over 51 countries and 50 world capitals.

There are several other components of The Band: The Singing Sergeants, Airmen of Note, Air Force Strings, Ceremonial Brass, High Flight, Silver Wings and Chamber Players. These groups have played in person to over 100 million people of every race, color, creed, walk of life, and ideology, with additional millions having heard them through numerous radio and television appearances.

Senior Master Sgt. Tait Solberg (center), drum major for the U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific-Asia, Yokota Air Base, Japan, leads his band through the decorated streets of Fussa City, Japan, during the Tanabata Festival. (U.S. Air Force photo by: MSgt Val Gempis)

Senior Airman Chris Hare, guitarist with the Air Force Reserve Band, accompanies recording artist Lisa Angelle during the Operation Seasons Greeting concert at Yokota AB, Japan, Nov. 27. The Yokota Air Base community kicked their heels during a night of fabulous music as Angelle, together with the band Ricochet, the Air Force Band of the Pacific and the Air Force Reserve Band belted out a variety of country, top-40, and holiday music during the three-hour show. Operation Seasons Greetings is a Bob Hope-United Service Organizations production focused on entertaining the troops during the Thanksgiving>

US Navy Band

Bands became a separate section of the crew on many Navy vessels.

Since its official designation in 1925, the U.S. Navy Band has grown to become a diverse organization comprised of 163 enlisted musicians and three officers. Based at the historic Washington (D.C.) Navy Yard, the organization features a concert-ceremonial unit and four distinct specialty groups--the "Sea Chanters" chorus (1956), the "Commodores" jazz ensemble (1969), the "Country Current" country-bluegrass group (1973), and the "Cruisers" rock ensemble (1999). The band also features several chamber music groups.

From 1929 to 1939 the Navy Band took to the air waves with Arthur Godfrey on NBC's "Hour of Memories" radio program. During World War II, the Navy Band supported the sale of war bonds and assisted in national recruiting efforts, although the majority of the band's time was spent performing at the daily funerals at Arlington National Cemetery.

At the close of the war in 1945, "The Navy Hour" was born, featuring such entertainers as Lt. Robert Taylor and Lt.(j.g.) Gene Kelly. With its departure from radio in 1968, "The Navy Hour" set a record for one of the longest tenures in radio.

Chief Musician Paul Johnson plays "Taps" for a fallen shipmate at Arlington National Cemetery.

A 19-gun salute is rendered for the Honorable John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia, during a Presidential Arrival Ceremony hosted by President George W. Bush at Admiral Leutze Park on the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., September 10, 2001. The ceremony was held in remembrance of the distinguished service of HMAS CANBERRA, which was badly damaged during the Battle of Savo Island north of Australia on August 8-9, 1942.

Since World War II the Navy Band has continued to serve ceremonial needs at the seat of the government, performing in presidential inaugurals, diplomatic arrivals and national holiday observances. The Navy Band performed at the 1998 rededication of the Wright Brothers National Memorial, in Kill Devil Hills, N.C.; the 1997 dedication of the Women in Military Service For America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Ceremony of Dedication; the 1995 Korean War Veterans Memorial dedication parade; the 1993 rededication of the Statue of Freedom and the Bicentennial of the U.S. Capitol; and the return of the Iranian hostages in 1981. The creation of four specialty groups has helped meet the public demand for unique types of music and the need of Navy recruiting.

US Coast Guard Band

In March 1925, the United States Coast Guard Band was organized with the assistance of Lt. Charles Benter, leader of the United States Navy Band, Dr. Walter Damrosch, conductor of the New York Philharmonic, and "American March King" John Philip Sousa, former director of the United States Marine Band.

The duties of the Coast Guard Band have greatly expanded since 1965. Originally a small command band located at the Academy and used primarily for local purposes, today the band routinely tours throughout the United States and has performed in the former Soviet Union and in England. It represents the Coast Guard around the nation and the world, at presidential functions, and for the secretary of transportation and other cabinet officials on formal and informal occasions.

Boarding aircraft in Alaska in 1976

Coast Guard Band mid-1960s

Bandsmen's Wartime Bravery

Approximately 500 bands served the Army during World War II.

Organization bands performed many non-musical duties as infantry units. Most bands guarded post perimeters and supply trains. Field commanders used organization bands primarily to entertain off-duty combat troops. Commanders made their bands more versatile and maneuverable by dividing their bands into several small ensembles.

Some ensembles, such as those from the 101st Airborne Division Band, played as far forward as command posts.

During the Battle of the Bulge, the divisional command post at Wiltz, Luxembourg, came under severe attack. Members of the 28th Infantry Division Band took up arms and fought as part of holding line around Wiltz to stop the German advance. The band put away their instruments, dug foxholes and picked up carbines. A clarinetist, Private First Class Collins, manned a bazooka and then drove a truck loaded with the band's music. He was going to save the music, but 10 miles out of Bastogne the convoy was ambushed and all the music burned. Only 16 of the band's 60 men survived the fighting in the Ardennes.

The 28th Infantry Division Band was not the only band involved in the Battle of the Bulge. The 101st Airborne helped hold on to Bastogne preventing it from falling to the Germans. The 82nd Airborne Division Band was caught in the battle after being sent to the Ardennes for R & R. The 82nd front line was stretched thin. The 82nd Airborne Band joined the depleted front line to hold off the German spearhead. The band helped hold off two German Infantry Divisions and a Panzer Division.

In the spring of 1965, US troops intervened in the Dominican Republic in the midst of a civil war. The 82nd Airborne Division Band accompanied the division into the capital city, Santo Domingo, as a corridor cutting the city in half was established.

Aside from boosting morale and appealing to the local populace, the parade was designed to convey a message to the rebels that Americans were not to be intimated. Bandmembers had their rifles strapped to their backs as they marched.

Bands in Vietnam, like those in Korea, often performed in combat areas. They flew into combat areas with instruments and weapons, prepared to play pop concerts or military ceremonies and to fight when needed.

In Vietnam, bandsmen built bunkers and served as guards for both inside and outside defensive perimeters, as well as being a vital part of pacification operations.

One notable example of the use of bands in Vietnam was the "Thunder Road" incident, which received national publicity. Major General John Hay, Commanding General of the First Infantry Division, ordered his band to march down "Thunder Road" for a distance of one mile while playing the march Colonel Bogey. This road was critical to the division, but was under control of a North Vietnamese Army regiment located less than a mile away. The enemy, confused by the action, withdrew from the area. The band fulfilled a remarkable combat mission without firing a shot.

Bands assume their secondary mission when combat reaches an intensity that makes the primary music mission impractical. The secondary mission includes four areas: command post security, perimeter defense, traffic control and prisoner of war security. Throughout the years, 32 Army musicians have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Army Band pays tribute at Ground Zero in New York City

What was to be The Band's annual fall concert in the Big Apple was quickly altered by the devastating events of September 11. "This is usually a fun trip we all look forward to," said Staff Sgt. Tom Bratten, a tuba player in The Concert Band. "We perform on one of the world's greatest stages and then get to enjoy a bit of free time to explore the city.

September 11 inextricably joined the cities of New York and Washington, painting vivid pictures of horror, sadness, desolation and loss. Following the tragedies in both cities "Pershing's Own" was faced with the prospect that the concert may be cancelled. Both the Chief of Staff of the Army and Secretary of the Army had put out a creed that the Army would observe a 30 day period of respect for those killed. "We weren't sure whether we would be able to go because the concert was scheduled to take place during the Army's official mourning period," said Army Band Leader and Commander Col. Gary F. Lamb.

The program was quickly adapted to reflect the strength, loyalty and tremendous resolve the American people have shown throughout the ordeal. Titled "A Hero for Today," the concert was dedicated to the heroic men and women of the New York City Fire Department, Police Department and Transit Authority who gave their lives in the line of duty. Several musicians traveled to the city a day early to put in appearances on nationally televised shows out of New York Friday morning. Tenor, Staff Sgt. Steve Cramer sang "A Hero for Today" with The U.S. Army Chorus on The Today Show. With the last notes fading away the audience in the square of Rockefeller Center spontaneously began chanting, "U.S.A., U.S.A."

Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, General Jack Keane opened the Avery Fisher Hall program with remarks that struck a chord with audience members young and old. "Our country is more united and focused than it has been since World War II. All know what we have is worth fighting for." After asking people to keep the members of the armed forces in their prayers he then said, "allow us to suspend time and enjoy the moment."

With two standing ovations before the concert even ended many in the audience were in tears. "I could feel the emotional electricity on stage," said Col. Lamb. "This was absolutely the right thing to do for those folks. They needed it," he reflected.

Trombonist, Sgt. 1st Class Jerry Amoury had a unique outlook on the "Ground Zero" performance. Amoury is a member of The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band and Herald Trumpets. "Usually our job is to render honors for people who have served their country. Sunday we were performing for the workers who are still here today. Fifteen feet away from me were hardened New York Construction workers crying as they took off their hats to listen to us. It made me realize that everything we do is for people alive today."

[4TheFlag]

Do you know what the University Club is? (Located in the CTME, incidentally...)

I have no idea what that Club is, located over in Cheesehead country????

[MistyCA]

Sort of a nice American Song.....Gone With the Wind

[deadhead]

"Pass the tequila and lemon! hahahaha"

Hi Jen, I was looking for lodwick to serve us some drinks, well...I found him...LOL

[SpookBrat]

Hi Aeronaut. Are you talking about Jesse? Yah! You betcha!

(I was just wondering and I wanted to use my best Minnesota accent doing it).

[SpookBrat]

Tequila gives me a "shoot me and put me out of my misery" headache. I can drink a margarita though. I just can't drink it straight. ewwwwwwww...

[MistyCA]

LOL....Yup~ that's Lodwick alright!

Here's another that I like ! Independence

[4TheFlag]

AMEN..God Bless America, may She stand TALL!

[SpookBrat]

I always talk to myself. My husband doesn't even listen to me any more, because he knows I'm not talking to him.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Just got home from my watch.
Hectic day BUT I did very well.
Know that I stand my watch in a way that would make you all proud.
I have some things to do, I'll be back a little later.

[SpookBrat]

Thanks for your post and for stopping by. I'm happy to meet you. My brother has been a precussionist for 20 years now. He is very good too. He is always in a band down in San Antonio. He likes jazz and funk mostly.

[MistyCA]

It's a Grand Old Flag!

[SpookBrat]

"Know that I stand my watch in a way that would make you all proud."

Tonkin dear, there would never even be any question about that. You're a good man. I'm so happy and proud of you. Really and truly.

[tomkow6]

No, you can't say or do that! It's part of the female make-up.........YOU HAVE TO HAVE CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!

I learned that by observing my wife; God knows, SHE'S NEVER WRONG! (And I better NOT disagree with her!)

[tomkow6]

Bless you, Tonk!

[WVNan]

Hey Flagman! I'm here early and I have pictures. Where's SAM?

[redhead]

"Cylinder Index" refers to the number of internal-combustion-engine piston cylinders you own. The higher the index, the higher your status as a Garage Logician. Simple.

[SpookBrat]

I enjoy your ramblings. You share your passion in your thoughts and I like reading what you have to say.

[WVNan]

I hate chocolate.

[MistyCA]

Glad to see you Tonk! I bet you did a terrific job standing your watch! :))) Here's one for you! US Coast Guard Anthem

[tomkow6]

No, you don't.........