"Where am I going to find a hundred guys just like that?"
Posted on 08/23/2010 9:09:21 PM PDT by Nachum
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates frequently makes the point that Congress funds Defense Department personnel far more easily than it does State Department employees.
"There are about 6,000 FSOs," or Foreign Service officers, he told an audience in San Francisco this month. He drew laughter when he added that former secretary of state "Condi Rice used to say, 'We have more people in military bands than they have in the Foreign Service.' She was not far wrong."
Well, maybe Gates should take a closer look at those military bands during his campaign to trim defense spending. My interest was triggered by a new field manual for Army bands, released last month, that Steven Aftergood first noted on his Secrecy News Web site.
You may be aware of the Army Band, known as "Pershing's Own" -- based in the Washington area -- which, according to the manual, is authorized to have 250 officers and enlisted men. Then there is the Army's Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, West Point's Military Academy Band, and the Army Field Band, located at nearby Fort Meade, Md. These are known as the Army's "special bands."
But there are also three large Army bands: the Army Training and Doctrine Command Band, at Fort Monroe, Va.; the Army Ground Forces Band, at Fort McPherson, Ga.; and the U.S. Army Europe Band and Chorus, stationed at Heidelberg, Germany.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Don’t cut the bands. But cut the paygrade. If they’re in a band, nothing over E5.
Military bands are essential to parades and many formations. I suspect that cutting military customs and traditions is the hidden goal here, and I fear that we’ll see more of it.
Exactly.
Exactly!
At this rate, in 20 years they’ll melt down the Marine Corps Memorial for some idiotic reason.....besides hate for our military and what it stands for.
"Where am I going to find a hundred guys just like that?"
My basic training company formed a band.
You do that and they will sound like some sicilian funeral
band.
Notice that under Obama and Gates the Defense Department is getting cut while the rest of government grows wildly. Gates says he is saving money which is nonsense. Any money cut by Defense is appropriated to other parts of government to be spent.
This gets spun as though it is some kind of special benefit. It is actually a standard part of any military assignment, as long as you dont get kicked out. It's called the dispensary/hospital, SGLI, Leave, PX and Commissary privileges.
I hate the media.
One of my favorite movies.
What if other government departments, agencies, and instrumentalities, especially entitlements, pursued and received budget cuts as vigorously as those which Defense must endure? Perhaps then, especially with severe cuts to “mandatory spending” entitlements, the Congress might balance the budget with a surplus to spare for repaying the debt, but then only with severe cuts to entitlements and other “mandatory spending.”
No, they will sound like any university band.
It's an American heritage. Before chief Osceola died, he recalled the Army's band could be heard 25 miles ahead of their combat formation heading towards the Everglades.
LOL! Good one!
I’ve never understood military bands... Honestly, does anyone REALLY pay attention to them?
While they are nice, they are also an anachronism. Needing bands is like needing bagpipes playing on advance into battle.
Perhaps they can keep a few around like the U.S.S. Constitution is still commissioned.
Have to remember that 40% of everything the federal government is doing is on borrowed money.
Yea, seems like they could just issue syncronized
I-pods or maybe CD players. Electric bagpipes...
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