Rick Schumann

Geez, didn't know anyone out there ever heard of Na Koa Ali'i (even with the correct spelling and translation). You're correct though, in that we (Mark Dewine & Rick Schumann) started the corps back around 1976-77 time frame. Mark & I were both in the US Marine Corps stationed at Kaneohe Bay, HI at the time. Mark's MOS (Military Occupational Speciality) put him in the US Marine Drum & Bugle Corps - as a drummer, while I was fixing helicopters as an avionics technician with MAG-24 H&MS-24). It was Mark's idea to start-up Na Koa Ali'i. He came up with the name, the logo was designed by an US Air Force graphics artist name Patrick Girade, along with his wife Jane, had a daughter Angela who was in our guard as a silk/flag bearer. Pat designed the logo and silk-screened them ontol bright red buttoned windbreakers. The kids wore white trousers and we ordered a white SCV style hat with a yellow ostrich plume and a yellow 'dickie' for around their necks. That was our uniform. Mark & I would travel around the island (Oahu) looking for sponsors (i.e. money). Mark purchased a film sold by McCormicks of Chicago (remember them?), that featured the SCV 'first year member' who the film followed him through his first year with Vanguard. It was an actual 16mm film - about an hour long. Mark & I would cart that film with us wherever we went and played it for anyone who we could get to watch as either a recruiting tool (when we showed it to HS bands around the island) or if we showed it to businesses or foundations when we were trying to raise money. We had 'big plans' on taking the corps on the road, if not to do anything else but to perform in exhibition, One of our hair-brained ideas to get the corps to the mainland was hoping a ride back to the mainland on a Liberty House department store cargo jet that flew to and from the mainland weekly to deliver merchandise for Liberty House department stores. Didn't get too far with that one :-) We just wanted to get the kids back to the mainland at the time to allow them to experience what drum corps was all about. Unfortunately, we never made it off the Island. The corps was together for about 4 years before both Mark & I left the islands. I believe at the height of our corps, I *think* we fielded about 20 flags, a color guard, maybe 6-8 rifles, around 20-25 horns and 4 bass, 2 cymbals, 6 snares, 2 tri-toms (quads were either too expensive or unavailble - not sure which). we primarily marched in local parades, opened an Islands semipro baseball game, and performed exhibitions of HS marching competitions. We didn't have any drill at the time - other than what it took to march onto the field into concert formation, play or songs, then march off. Our 'street time' cadence was provided to us by the Reading Buccaneers, warm-up by the Blue Devils and Vanguard, and dreams of 'what could have been' from Mark & I. Mark left first around 1979 and eventually, I left around 1980 with my wife who I met in Hawaii. Our good friend, John Min was our percussion-head during these times and took over the reigns for a brief period after we both left. John being an early student of ScoJo (Scott Johnson of Blue Devil fame). I think it was John who got the Blue Devils drumline to sponsor a 'bowl-a-thon' fund-raiser once for our fledgling corps at the time. Blue Devils and SCV gave us support & encouragement from afar back then. I distinctly remember meeting Steve Jeffries (of Milpitas CA). Steve just made the SCV snareline the year we met in Waikiki with his parents while vacationing. Steve helped and encouraged us from afar. Another SVC percussionist (tonal bass line) Rick ??? (crap, I'm getting too old to remember - sorry Rick) hung our with us for a brief period and helped with our percussion section. Both Pete Emmons and Fred Sanford (RIP) traveled to Hawaii and spent about a week there, with us, primarily working with a local high school (Mililanni - Ron Hirai band directory). We got some of our corps members from Mililanni HS Trojan band) during that time. All of these guys were rock stars to our corps members (as they still are) and to Mark & I :-) too. Those were some of my best memories of being stationed in Hawaii. The Na Koa Ali'i name still lives on today since leaving. The corps has dis-banded, but the name is now associated with the Hawaii All State high schools band program. Sorry, I wanted to paste/upload a photo of our corps logo, but this site only allows a link to an image via a URL - which unfortunately, I don't have posted anyware. Maybe in the future.