KeithHall Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 Someone suggested I do this so....... It was 1986 and that summer as I was stationed in Camp King with the 4th Transportation Command, I somehow got the phone number of the corps director of a Frankfurt drum corps. A few days later I was picked up by Manfred Wiede and some others. One of the guys in the back seat turned out to be an American named Pete Montanez who was the DM for The Geneseo Knights and was also in the Madison Scouts guard. I liked what I saw with the corps and started teaching their horn line. After that season we started on making the next year memorable. Drum corps in Germany was on the rise but behind Great Britain and The Netherlands. Lots of enthusiastic people though in Germany! We planned the music for the next year opening with "The Score" by Emerson, Lake and Powell (Cozy replaced Carl Palmer). New uniforms and drums. We put together a great show and did well. I spent a lot of time with these folks and even though I was not great at the German language, we understood each other. I left in 1988 to head back to the US. I got to judge a few shows in Germany and was excited to judge Jubal and Beatrix. Great times back then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironlips Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 This topic caught my eye right away, though my experience was a bit different. Due to a quirk of fate (and some string-pulling), my 142nd Armored Division tank unit included a number of vets from corps like the Smithtown Freelancers, Oceanside Legionnaires, Sunrisers, Lindenaires and Cabs. On our own time we put together a mini parade corps and then convinced the First Sergeant (the head string-puller, actually) that our unit's prestige would be enhanced if we played the various ceremonies, formations and other gatherings that came up. This extra duty kept us out of the smelly old tanks once in a while and also earned us some occasional leave (to go to drum corps events, of course). With one snare, one leg tenor and one bass, three sops and two baris, our big numbers were "Under the Double Eagle", "The Thunderer", "Baby Elephant Walk" and "Yellow Submarine" which we re-titled, "Tank That's Painted Green". Think 4077 M.A.S.H., with bugles. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithHall Posted May 12, 2021 Author Share Posted May 12, 2021 Awesome story!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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