Never thought I would wear a dress!

[jonnie]

Michael,

Thanks for the update and clarification. Obviously you know your Sousaphones. These are Marines who happen to be excellent musicians. There concerts are excellent and highly recommended.

[michaeldterry]

Michael,

Thanks for the update and clarification. Obviously you know your Sousaphones. These are Marines who happen to be excellent musicians. There concerts are excellent and highly recommended.

John - you're right about the excellence of the Marine musicians, regardless of which musical unit they belong to! Having been involved in the drum and bugle corps activity for almost 40 years, I'm probably a little 'anal' about the differences between a drum corps and a band. Many people don't know the difference (nor do they care). It doesn't matter to anyone, except us old drum corps guys!

[BUSTER]

If they have Red jackets...they are professional musicians who are in the Marines from DC...Blue jackets are professional marines who play an instrument and are from different duty stations.....to the best of my recollection from my tour in the Marines

[michaeldterry]

If they have Red jackets...they are professional musicians who are in the Marines from DC...Blue jackets are professional marines who play an instrument and are from different duty stations.....to the best of my recollection from my tour in the Marines

I can't answer to the jacket color specifically, but can confirm that the members of the USMC Drum & Bugle Corps are professional musicians and professional marines, whose duty station is the Marine Barracks, at 8th and I in Washington D.C. Every member is a graduate of Marine Corps recruit training and is trained in basic infantry skills. Prior to enlisting, each Marine must pass a demanding audition for service in the Drum and Bugle Corps. These Marines are selected so that following Recruit Training and Marine Combat Training, they proceed directly to "The Commandant's Own" without requiring further training.

The Drum and Bugle Corps travels more than 50,000 miles annually, performing in excess of 400 events across the nation and abroad. Throughout the summer months the unit performs in Sunset Parades at the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Monument) near Arlington, Virginia, every Tuesday evening. These "Parades" are not street parades but are dramatic military ceremonies which are a symbol of the professionalism, discipline, and Esprit de Corps of the United States Marines. If you are ever in WDC on a summer Tuesday evening, do yourself a favor and attend the Sunset Parade. It is an unforgettable experience that will leave you in awe of the beauty and precision on display during this emotional ceremony.

[lewpopp]

Mike,

Is this a statement to say that the soldier in the U S Army is not a professional?

[rmboies]

John - you're right about the excellence of the Marine musicians, regardless of which musical unit they belong to! Having been involved in the drum and bugle corps activity for almost 40 years, I'm probably a little 'anal' about the differences between a drum corps and a band. Many people don't know the difference (nor do they care). It doesn't matter to anyone, except us old drum corps guys!

Michael, reading about this brought tears to my eyes. My father was in the Marine Corps Band, not the drum and bugle corp, around 1948 or so. My brother has all the pics and will ask him to send me a couple. Dad was always so proud to be a member of this distinquished group and the auditions and training were not a cake walk from what I understand. Baritone and Trombone were the instruments he played. I wasn't born until after he was out of the Marine Corps so never had the chance to watch him perform. In later years he was in the Shriners marching band and I did get to see him in that. He died at the young age of 52 but not without leaving alot of lasting memories for all of us!

Debi

[michaeldterry]

Mike,

Is this a statement to say that the soldier in the U S Army is not a professional?

Lew - absolutely not! In my eyes, every single man and woman who served, or is serving, in any branch of the United States military is a professional of the highest caliber! I owe my freedom to every soldier, sailor, airman, or marine tasked with protecting and defending it and I thank God for them every day!

[michaeldterry]

Michael, reading about this brought tears to my eyes. My father was in the Marine Corps Band, not the drum and bugle corp, around 1948 or so. My brother has all the pics and will ask him to send me a couple. Dad was always so proud to be a member of this distinquished group and the auditions and training were not a cake walk from what I understand. Baritone and Trombone were the instruments he played. I wasn't born until after he was out of the Marine Corps so never had the chance to watch him perform. In later years he was in the Shriners marching band and I did get to see him in that. He died at the young age of 52 but not without leaving alot of lasting memories for all of us!

Debi

Debi - how very proud you must be of your father - and rightly so! It's true that Marine Corps musicians go through the exact same training for battleground readiness as any other Marine. In addition, they must pass an audition and selection process that insures that only the very best Marine musicians earn acceptance.