Where do you stand on the topic of cutting military bands?

Capt Brandon Charters — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 19:11:33 -0400

Seeing a small storm of media coverage recently on the debate over keeping military bands funded amongst the increasingly tight DoD budget. I personally see a tremendous amount of value from a morale and welfare standpoint. Let alone, the recruitment and retention value of having bands on site for major events and important ceremonies.
Where do you stand on the issue of cutting these official military bands?

Military Times Article: http://militari.ly/295mGx9

Don't discount military bands' strategic value, supporters warn Congress

Several proposals on Capitol Hill could trim military musicians' appearances and funding.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2016 7:13 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 19:13:35 -0400

I agree. I do not think it is a good idea to cut music from the budget. Military marching bands serve a big purpose to the morale of service members.

I was working a security job at a ski resort a couple of years ago. After a concert, the Army song came on. I got a kick out of hearing it as a civilian.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Jun 27 at 2016 7:18 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 19:18:05 -0400

Esprit de Corps is as essential as rations and ammo. It's something I suspect that every member of RP understands. Civilians who never served, on the other hand, may be bewildered by that statement. Music is one of those elements that can not only inspire men and women who go in harms way, but also strike fear into the hearts of enemies. The same triumphant march which may lead an army to victory will also cause the enemy to flee in panic when they hear the victors approach.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2016 7:34 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 19:34:51 -0400

There's plenty of better ways to save money

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2016 8:02 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 20:02:11 -0400

There's better ways to save money. As a former Honor Guard commander, the band that supported our ceremonies was always professional and motivating. That said, if the band can get rid of "sound off" (the part where they march around forever in a change of command ceremony while the troops fall out), the Soldiers standing on the field would be a lot happier!

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Jun 27 at 2016 8:18 PM

SGM Mikel Dawson — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 20:18:45 -0400

Band members do more than just play music. When I went to Kuwait/Iraq, the main mission for the V Corps Band was security detail for the V Corps Rear CP. After their main duties they found time to practice. They did gigs ever so often and it was fantastic, just ask any soldier who was there. After we moved north, and finally settled on Victory Base, they ended up going out to all the small FOBs and outposts doing gigs. I bet those troops enjoyed it as well. While on Victory Base they also pulled security detail on the guard towers and such. So besides music they do much more. And as @CPT Jack Durish stated, civilians will never understand the value of a band. The attached is a pic of the 76th Army Band (V Corps) doing a concert on Victory Base.

Response by SGT Jerrold Pesz made Jun 27 at 2016 8:20 PM

SGT Jerrold Pesz — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 20:20:31 -0400

I like military bands.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Jun 27 at 2016 8:39 PM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 20:39:39 -0400

I would hate to see them cut. I think we get plenty of PR Value out of them.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2016 8:44 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 20:44:02 -0400

Capt Brandon Charters Sir, the money spent on the military bands is a drop in the bucket. I love military bands and do not want them cut for budget reasons.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Jun 27 at 2016 9:35 PM

CSM Charles Hayden — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 21:35:04 -0400

Capt Brandon Charters Military bands are a part and parcel of our military. The 'traveling' bands draw great audiences during their appearances across the nation.

The Marine Corps Band travels with the Corps Silent Drill Platoon. Five years ago, after enjoying VIP seating at Camp Pendleton to see the performances of the Band and the Silent Drill Platoon, I was very impressed that the audience was invited, even encouraged to chat with the Marines after their performances. Such beautiful young men, they were all 'Chatty Cathy' types with we spectators!
They give a great impression of the USMC and the U S Military in general.

Sorry to admit it, but I had difficulty in attempting to simulate 'Inspection Arms' with one of their M-1s. That old weapon sure had a stiff recoil spring!

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made Jun 27 at 2016 10:17 PM

Cpl Justin Goolsby — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 22:17:55 -0400

I see no value in cutting military bands. From a Marine perspective, they are still required to go through all the same training and quals we do, so if I have to take the trombone away and put a rifle in his hand, he's just as proficient with it as anyone else.

Personally I've always loved the bands. I love the Silent Drill teams. They really make you feel good about your branch like you said, it's a real morale booster. Yes there's a lot of pomp and circumstance with ceremonies and retirements etc. But this is the backbone of our branches. The customs and courtesies and traditions we pass down.

Even if we just cut the bands across the board... what are we going to do then... increase the number of aircraft mechanics for 30+ year old aircraft that are slowly being phased out anyways...

Keep the bands... like I said, put a rifle in their hands and they are just as good as the next Marine I'm fighting beside.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2016 10:30 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 22:30:58 -0400

Response by SSG Mark Franzen made Jun 28 at 2016 12:25 AM

SSG Mark Franzen — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 00:25:47 -0400

I THINK THEY NEED TO CONTINUE HAVING A MILTARY BAND.

Response by CW2 Carl Swanson made Jun 28 at 2016 2:29 PM

CW2 Carl Swanson — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 14:29:31 -0400

Bands have been an integral part of the military for centuries. The only kinds of idiots who would look to get rid of the tradition are people who have never served and don't understand what they are talking about.

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Jun 28 at 2016 6:00 PM

CSM Darieus ZaGara — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 18:00:58 -0400

Military Bands always made me feel good and patriotic when I had the pleasure to listen to them.

Response by SSG Samuel Sohm made Jun 29 at 2016 10:07 AM

SSG Samuel Sohm — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 10:07:00 -0400

The band has it's place. Just because they aren't knee deep in grenade pins their entire careers doesn't mean they are useless. They provide music for ceremonies, events, and don't forget the ever present bugler who travels with general officers to memorials. If that isn't a necessity I don't know what is.

Response by CH (CPT) Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 30 at 2016 12:17 AM

CH (CPT) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 00:17:08 -0400

I love the Army bands! It would be a shame to see them go.

Response by SPC Stephen Parlefsky made Nov 26 at 2016 7:07 AM

SPC Stephen Parlefsky — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 07:07:04 -0500

I was in the 389th Army Band at Ft. Monmouth 1966-1968 and i thought it was one of the greatest PR and enlisting tools we had doing concerts at all the local high school and all the parades we marched in, great moral also.

Response by PO1 Gene Barfield made Mar 21 at 2017 6:11 PM

PO1 Gene Barfield — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 18:11:15 -0400

The only military presence in our small, out-of-the-way town in recent times has been: 1. The visible presence of our veterans, and our neighbors in the National Guard; 2. The return of active duty service men and women on leave; 3. The homecoming of those whose active service just ended; 4. The sad return of a native son killed overseas in service to our nation; and 5. The recent performance of the United States Army Field Band at our high school. Our town is like so many others in the first four respects. We lucked out tremendously on the fifth. No events in recent times here have produced the outpouring of our neighbors, physically and in sentiment, as the arrival home of our neighbor in a flag-draped coffin, and the concert of the Army Field Band.

Delete the Band, and the only event that swept up the entire town all at once is terribly sad, one we haven't stopped mourning. Is that all we deserve from America?

It isn't just that the kinds of music our military bands typically perform is rarely heard in places like our town. We're never going to play host to the New York Philharmonic, or an audition for America's Got Talent. We're just too small. If every one of us attended a major concert there still won't be enough of us to fill a major venue. But we're America too.

A recent story about the trees Congress is fussing with really resonates around places like here. We grow things in rural America, so we know about trees. I can see three orchards from my home. We know that to get the best crop you have to prune the trees. We also know that you have to be smart about it, know what you're doing when you start lopping off branches. Otherwise you might kill the tree. You don't cut things without a good reason around here.

When the Army Field Band came, the operation behind the concert was nearly as exciting as the concert itself. A group of trained people with a plan swept into town and set up the whole shebang overnight. The night of the concert, they knocked everything down, loaded everything up and went to the next small town on their tour. Talk about military precision and discipline! And the concert! It was The Best!

There's one thing every traveling military band seems to do now. They all play that medley of the nation's Service songs. They ask vets from each of the different Services to stand and be recognized when their Service song rolls around. All the songs together, each of the vets and their particular Service recognized individually. Sounds pretty American, doesn't it? When the Band struck up that song - which we all knew was coming and we were all waiting for - the thunder from the stage was matched note for note by the thunder in the hearts of all us vets in the audience. For just a few moments, we were really sailors again, and soldiers, and Marines and Coast Guardies and airmen. Of course, when the Band rounded on Anchors Aweigh, I was thrilled to stand as tall as I could, proud to be an honorably discharged Navy vet who gave ten years of my life to our country. I know a lot of my neighbors, young and old, felt just as I did.

If Congress kills off the military bands, how are we supposed to stay connected with the rest of the country? I'm not talking about roads. I'm not talking about coast-to-coast TV. I'm not talking about social media. I'm talking about in our hearts, in our gut. We see the President on TV, we see the Senators and Congressmen. But they're not here.

We're so small out here that we're surprised each time we hear something that tells us our Congressman or our Senators know the name of our town. We're not like Los Angeles or Seattle. We can't get a thousand people together for something because we don't have a thousand people. Is it any wonder, then, when a band like the Army Field Band comes through, pretty much the entire town turns out to greet them. I've never seen my neighbors get so noisy as we all did, at least a half dozen times during their performance. How often does a town like ours get to hear and see a performance by a world-class musician like there were a couple dozen of when that Band came?

I'll give you the answer to that question. Once in a blue moon. Only when a military band comes to town.

We send our daughters and sons off to serve the nation just like every other town does. We're proud of that. We don't ask anything in repayment. We're just doing our duty, like any good Americans will.

But America owes us a band.

We know we'll only get to hear one every few years. We can't imagine, no matter how much it excites us to think about it, that we'll ever rate a visit from the President's Own, the U.S. Marine Band. That's why there needs to be enough bands to go around. There are A LOT of small towns in America. We all deserve to be remembered by our nation.

We're not stupid; we know bands cost money. I'm 64 years old and I've never met a single soul who ever complained about the cost to us - it's our money that pays for them, isn't it? Rural people know how to count our money.

America owes it's small towns a visit now and then. There isn't any reason at all why the President or a general or admiral might drive through one day. We're not on the way to anyplace except here. But we're America just like Washington, or Albuquerque or Atlanta is.

America owes us a band. That's really not that much to ask for, is it?"

Response by SFC Jim Ruether made Mar 21 at 2017 6:24 PM

SFC Jim Ruether — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 18:24:31 -0400

Our DoD looks at all the minor things to get rid of. How bout a pay increase for the enlisted ranks E-5 and lower using money from pay cuts for O-5 and up?