As the political and economic climates threaten the health of military music, it's important to promote the fact that military bands function as a key component in building public support, raising morale and enhancing the dignity of service in our Armed Forces. By stressing the importance of ceremonial, patriotic and memorial events, this video goes a long way in countering the image that military bands are "frills."
This alone would be enough for me to give the video a hearty thumbs-up. But I am also impressed by something else: it's heartening to see such a top-notch public relations tool created by and for a fleet band.
Many well-done media presentations of Navy music focus, in whole or in great part, the U.S. Navy Band. While the units of this premier band are, indeed, superb, it is the Navy's fleet bands, ashore and afloat, at home and on distant shores, that take the Navy to the people daily, not just for a brief annual tour, but as a way of life. Thank you, Navy Band Great Lakes, for reminding us that it is the bands of the fleet that are, indeed, the "special" bands.
