tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293152265787061341.post798273034348589818..comments2024-03-03T05:11:57.603-05:00Comments on Wings Over Iraq: A Brigade’s Worth of Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boys?Starbuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013102906896853767noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293152265787061341.post-72460363643505701562010-09-07T16:00:11.696-04:002010-09-07T16:00:11.696-04:00Between the ceremonial & PR functions, I don&#...Between the ceremonial & PR functions, I don't see the band numbers going down much or at all. Would be nice to see some billets cut and then take on the World Class Athlete Program.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293152265787061341.post-28441202582334529452010-09-07T10:34:02.581-04:002010-09-07T10:34:02.581-04:00My husband is a bandmaster...the structure of band...My husband is a bandmaster...the structure of bands has changed quite a bit over the years. The band he leads is considered "small". As a conductor in a real-world band, he would not have only 2 clarinets or 2 flutes; he would definitely have double-reed instruments. Yet, the powers that be decided that he didn't need that. Only the larger "special" bands are entitled to double reeds (bassoons and oboes) because their mission is different. No, it is not. My husband's mission is to suppor the post and the community by performing ceremonies, concerts and parades to boost the morale of soldiers and raise support of the local communities. Yes, he's trained as a soldier...he went to AIT and was trained as a musician. He had futher training to become a Warrant Officer and command a band.<br /><br />It does bother ME (I speak only for me) when they have non-MOS soldiers removed from their regular duty to "be a musician". Once in a great while, you'll see an OJT (on the job trainee) come into the band from a different MOS, but that's not a regular occurrence. When they have The Army Soldier Show, they take soldiers out of regular positions (NONE of these performers are part of the band field, indeed, those who are MOS musicians are not generally allowed to do this) to tour for a year. Yeah, it's a nice thing to do for the morale of the soldiers....but that's why the band has hired musicians!<br /><br />Same with non-MOS choruses. If you want to do that in your spare time, fine, but don't take people out of their jobs so they can "tour".<br /><br />One thing I can say...at one point, there was no MOS for a vocalist. Often, because of short-staffed bands (deployed bands are fully staffed, sometimes at the expense of stateside bands), vocalists were not found within the unit. Those who could sing were needed on their instrument. This would bring in a non-MOS singer attached to the band. But now, they've got a full time assigned MOS, so I see no need to attach singers. Choruses are not (with the exception of the big bands in DC) part of the band field.<br /><br />I could go on and on...but I won't.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11956372504248127591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293152265787061341.post-14467973277616129562010-09-06T21:18:09.978-04:002010-09-06T21:18:09.978-04:00I generally have no issue with the official bands ...I generally have no issue with the official bands across the Services (i.e. those with a TDA). Certainly some of them could be trimmed off, but overall they serve a useful PR and recruiting function for the Armed Forces as a whole.<br /><br />What chaps my rear end are the unofficial musical groups, e.g. 82d ABN Chorus. Those groups are non-TDA, created out of hide by stripping understaffed units of talented Soldiers. <br /><br />My first direct contact was as a CO in 2ID in Korea just over a decade ago. The 2ID CSM showed up on my doorstep, BDE CSM in tow, demanding release of a young lady that had a great voice, one of the wrench benders in our consolidated motorpool. So in Korea you have to drive your HMMWVs everywhere, triple or quadruple normal mileage as compared to CONUS, I'm already 4 of 7 for 10-level light mechanics, now 3 of 7.<br /><br />Two weeks later the company commanders in the division get invited to mass dinner with th CG. There is my young Soldier, along with 20 other perfectly good Soldiers, singing well and representin'....to entertain the General and a bunch of dumb Captains. Tell me how this "throwback" to colonial Army BS helped me keep trucks on the road (or legal briefs moved out, or awards turned from the PAC, or helicopters flying, or God-forbid, bullets hitting North Koreans)? <br /><br />In sum: keep the official Army bands, outlaw BS, out-of-hide musical groups. This ain't the 19th Century Army.Josh Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04470401037895071171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293152265787061341.post-80381764948092344862010-09-06T16:11:04.872-04:002010-09-06T16:11:04.872-04:00I noticed something like this while in Iraq. AFN ...I noticed something like this while in Iraq. AFN was always running promo spots for "The Army Experience" or something like that. "Bored with your job? Would you like to do something exciting? If you can sing, play an instrument or run professional sound equipment CALL DSN XXX-XXX". Seems like a waste of time, effort and money. Especially when I saw something similar at Fort Sill. 4 tour busses and 6 semi-trailers worth of equipment.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12427747604985866449noreply@blogger.com