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 US Marine Band at Work
Author: larryb 
Date:   2003-03-19 19:25

Here's a fascinating story about the US Marine Band at Work in the Kuwaiti Desert

http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/transcripts/2003/mar/030313.burnett.html

Wonder how their instruments are holding up sitting packed away in the heat of Kuwait.

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 Re: US Marine Band at Work
Author: GBK 
Date:   2003-03-19 19:33

"...the clarinetist leads the .50-caliber machine gun team, the bassoonist shoots the machine gun and the euphonium player is an ammunition bearer..."

Even in wartime, the clarinetist plays a most important role.

Let's all hope they return home safely...GBK



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 Re: US Marine Band at Work
Author: PJ 
Date:   2003-03-19 19:38

Well said GBK!!! Best of luck to our troops!

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 Re: US Marine Band at Work
Author: msloss 
Date:   2003-03-19 21:14

How long do you have to soak a .50 caliber round before it is ready to shoot? Do they shoot right out of the box or do they need adjustment? Did Kaspar (Cicero, of course) make the clips or do they use Greg Smith's models? Is that an R13 or Prestige machine gun?

Wait for it...

Moennig or Chadash barrel on the gun?

Here's hoping they are back to Sousa and Grainger sooner rather than later!

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 Re: US Marine Band at Work
Author: Ralph G 
Date:   2003-03-19 22:40

Hope they don't go through the whole case of ammo looking for just the right round.

[grin] You've been a great audience. Enjoy The Troggs.

________________

Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.

- Pope John Paul II

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 Re: US Marine Band at Work
Author: JMcAulay 
Date:   2003-03-19 23:17

Do note that this is *a* US Marine Band. It is not *The* US Marine Band (The President's Own), the only band in the US Military.with non-combat-trained members.

Regards,
John
who has a Hohner Marine Band harmonica

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 Re: US Marine Band at Work
Author: Ken Shaw 2017
Date:   2003-03-20 13:42

John -

Special Band members (USAF, USN, US Army, US Army Field, West Point, Coast Guard) go through basic training, but not combat training. At one point, I believe The Marine Band members didn't go through the famously tough Marine basic training, but in this all-volunteer era, they may. At any rate, when I was in the West Point Band (at the height of the Vietnam War), the band members were anything but combat-ready, and the "training" we went through consisted of a yearly refresher on marching in straight lines during parades.

Best regards.

Ken Shaw

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 Re: US Marine Band at Work
Author: Larry Liberson 
Date:   2003-03-20 13:52





Post Edited (2006-12-09 18:57)

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 Re: US Marine Band at Work
Author: clarinetdaddy 
Date:   2003-03-21 05:20

Here in Germany we are trading R13 for M16. Don't know when we will be able to play and practice again. (What, is this a Band or !!)?

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 Re: US Marine Band at Work
Author: ken 
Date:   2003-03-22 19:39

As a 24-year clarinet player in the U.S. Air Force Band program (active duty now retired) it's been my understanding new members of the DC "President's Own" U.S. Marine Band are traditionally exempt from attending Basic Military training (at least since I served 1978-2002); the waiver is primarily used/justified as a recruiting inducement (among others) to attract the countries' best and most promising talent.

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 Re: US Marine Band at Work
Author: Benni 
Date:   2003-03-22 23:07

"B-flat alto saxophonist"
A typo, or does one really exist?

Hopefully they can be back to playing music soon!

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 Re: US Marine Band at Work
Author: Wes 
Date:   2003-03-23 00:12

I recall playing blacked out concerts during National Guard campouts where the band went from camp to camp in the dark, standing and playing from memory at each site. What did we play?--Darktown Strutter's Ball.

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 Re: US Marine Band at Work
Author: ctt489 
Date:   2003-03-23 01:17

I almost joined the Marine Band as a clarinetist after I finished college. I was approached by the Marines upon hearing of me while attending school.
It was tempting. The pay and benifits were excellent (a lot more than what I'm making now) but I was very hesitant and uncomfortable with basic training and the idea of actually serving in the services.
I chose not to persue it after I sucessfully audtioned and was excepted.

"the clarinetist leads the .50-caliber machine gun team" WAY TO GO!

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 Re: US Marine Band at Work
Author: glin 
Date:   2003-03-23 02:22

This may be a little off topic. But yesterday, I had to cancel my lesson and community band rehearsal to attend the Washington Building Congress Craftsman Awards. This is an award dinner event where craftsman from various building trades (stone, masonry, mechanical, and electrical contractors) in the construction industry are recoginzed for outsanding workmanship. My office is an engineering firm that designed the rework of the Pentagon-the Phoenix Project. That's why I was there.

Anyway, I actually was bummed out because I do look forward to lessons and the band rehearsal at the end of the work week. I was pleasantly suprised to see members of the US Marine Band playing there (in the ballroom of the Westlawn Park Marriot in DC. - for our event). They played patriotic marches and the anthem at the beginning of the event. My table was near their stage. They were solid. There were about 8 clarinets in the front row. I've said before that they, along with the other military service bands in DC are great and wish people would recognize and support them more.

But, how did they get this gig? I thought they only played for government functions, educational outreach, and public concerts.

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 Re: US Marine Band at Work
Author: Matt Carlton 
Date:   2003-03-27 01:06

It's scary because I know a lot of these people who are over there now. The tuba player they interviewed was a friend of mine at the School of Music in Little Creek, VA. I was with the 2nd Marine Division Band, Camp Lejeune, NC from 1997 to 2000 and if I would have stayed in I would have gone over there as well.

I'm praying for all my Marine friends over there. They are fighting for the freedom that we enjoy everyday.

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