The role of a military band has changed just slightly since they were first used even before the U.S. Army was established.
CW3 Jeffrey Price, Former Commander, 1st Infantry Division Band.
Today’s military band may not be on the front lines playing cadences and moving troops around the battlefield, but they still serve a major role in the Army. That role revolves around motivating soldiers and encouraging soldiers, according to CW3 Jeffrey Price, Former Commander of the 1st Infantry Division Band.
“Reminding them who they are, where they’re from, and what they’re fighting for,” said Price during Thursdays Junction City Military Affairs Council Breakfast.
The band also provides an avenue for the Army to build stronger relationships with their coalition partners. The 1st Infantry Division Band was used in that capacity during their last deployment in 2014 and 2015 with the 1st Infantry Division Headquarters to Iraq.
“Often times we would be used by the State Department to sell the best of America, to bring people together, to unify a group. And then a couple of days later they would talk about defeating the Daesh, the ISIS.”
The 38 member ensemble can also be seen at different events in community’s throughout the Flint Hills Region, including marching in the Sundown Salute Parade in Junction City, or performing on the C.L. Hoover Opera House stage.