Against the war and joined the Marines just so he could play the trombone

[NNN0LHI]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070527/NEWS01/705270430/1056/COL02

Forget Iraq; he's going to play at White House

Louis Cheatham


<snip>And that is what makes it all the more ironic that, within a few months, he will be wearing the uniform of a Marine.

"I've always hated war; never wanted to go to some place like Iraq,'' said the Princeton senior, who graduates June 5. "I don't even believe in this war going on now." snip

As a member of the Marine Band, he won't have to go through combat training and won't find himself on the front lines in Iraq or anywhere else. Instead, he'll play for White House events, Marine Corps functions and in concerts around the country.

[HeeBGBz]

1. Hope he has that in writing. n/t

[BattyDem]

2. Exactly! Don't unpack that trombone yet, buddy

:-(

[RamboLiberal]

7. They have an almost 100% guarantee of not ending up

in another Marine unit, i.e. combat. It would have to be an extremely dire situation for members of the Marine Band to end up toting rifles.

Why aren’t members sent to recruit training (boot camp)?

“The President’s Own” has no tactical or combat mission; its mission is to provide music to the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Marines in “The President’s Own” are among the most expert musicians and professionals in the world and are recruited from renowned colleges, universities, and conservatories worldwide. They are highly skilled in both performance ability and knowledge of musical subjects; for this reason, musicians and professionals who are selected for the Marine Band and subsequent enlistment in the Marine Corps are considered highly-trained for performance of their duties.

Upon enlistment, a Marine Band member signs a standard four-year enlistment contract and reports directly to Marine Barracks Washington equipped with the training needed to immediately begin performance of his or her primary duty: “to provide music and such other functions as are directed by the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps.” Upon arrival at Marine Barracks Washington, newly recruited members of the band undergo a 4-6 week period of military instruction conducted by the Assistant Drum Major to ensure each member is equipped to begin their Marine Corps career.

Why are members enlisted as Staff Sergeants (Grade E-6)?

Because of the many years invested in their musical education, members of “The President’s Own” enlist in the Marine Corps already trained to perform at the high level of skill required. It would be difficult for the Marine Corps to recruit individuals who possess such expertise (many hold bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in their field) at salaries dramatically lower than what they could be expected to earn in the private sector.

http://www.marineband.usmc.mil/who_we_are/faq/index.htm

[Karenina]

11. It IS an EXCELLENT band.

Has ALWAYS been. :patriot:

[uppityperson]

3. Had a relative do that.

They ended up discharging him early due to he wasn't a good enough musician and had health issues which made him ineligible for anything else. Hope he has it in writing.

[yella_dawg]

4. As a Veteran...

"As a member of the Marine Band, he won't have to go through combat training and won't find himself on the front lines in Iraq or anywhere else."

Such a phrase is highly suspicious.

[teenagebambam]

6. 'at's the truth, I'm afraid

Members of the bands of all branches of the service do attend boot camp - EXCEPT, strangely enough, for the Marine bands.

It's a sweet deal if you can get it, you're on base about six hours a day for practices, and that's it.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. My buddy re-enlisted in the marines to become a pilot.

After all the papers were signed and he was all ready to go to flight school...Whoops!! Sorry,....we overlooked that little incident where you got busted for sleeping on guard duty.

But, he did get to fly..as a door-gunner in Vietnam (a war he opposed). His chopper was shot down and his name is inscribed on that wall.

He hated the Crotch as much as I did, but believed them when the told him that there would be "no problems".

He should have known better.

[LizW]

8. Get to play "Hail to the Chief" a hundred times

while the chimp struts and prances?

I don't know. I might rather go to Iraq.

[Igel]

10. Today they're playing at Wolf Trap.

http://www.marineband.usmc.mil/calendar/index.asp

Morton Gould/“American Salute”
Leonard Bernstein/ Excerpts from Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
John Philip Sousa* March, “Powhatan’s Daughter”
George Gershwin/ Rhapsody in Blue
SSgt AnnaMaria Mottola, piano soloist
John Williams/ March from Superman
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II/ Selections from Oklahoma!
GySgt Kevin Bennear, baritone
SSgt Sara Dell’Omo, mezzo-soprano
John Philip Sousa*/ March, “The Stars and Stripes Forever”
A Salute to the Armed Forces of the United States of America

Ok, no Sibelius, no Brahms (at least this performance), and everything's transposed. But it's not Hail to the Chief. And on 5/20 (at George Mason) they had a mess of Beethoven (Symphony #6) and Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf.

[msongs]

9. scrap the waste of money band & use the $$ for body armor for real soldiers. nt

[PsN2Wind]

12. So the meme "Every Marine, first and foremost, a rifleman"

isn't the case if you play the friggin trombone.