Mandarins 2026

[Chief Guns]

Will go ahead and get this started for 2026.

I might not be around as much next season, but I am very interested in what's next for the Mandarins as they continue to ascend towards the top five. 

[JohnDF]

I'll be back here next year cheering on my favorite Mandarins... Can't wait to see what they bring us.

[IllianaLancerContra]

5 hours ago, Chief Guns said:

Will go ahead and get this started for 2026.

I might not be around as much next season, but I am very interested in what's next for the Mandarins as they continue to ascend towards the top five. 

Please know that you’re always welcome here to cheer on Mandarins or whomever.  

[Chief Guns]

On 8/10/2025 at 7:54 AM, IllianaLancerContra said:

Please know that you’re always welcome here to cheer on Mandarins or whomever.  

Thanks brother! Happy and proud to be apart of the DCP family.

I was here on DCP before my son marched, and I will certainly be here moving forward. 

But 2026 will be me and the wife's 25th anniversary. 

Unfortunately, I was deployed for our 5th, 10th and 15th anniversary's. In 2021 for our 20th, I was retiring and transitioning to civilian life, not to mention Covid was still rampant, so we didn't celebrate 20 either, or at least the way we wanted to celebrate. 

So, we decided that 2026 will be a yearlong celebration to make up for the lost years. Each month we will do something special, traveling here in the states, international etc. 

So, I'll be around and checking in from time to time, but with our daughter and son grown and out of the house, and the wear and tear of military life in the rear-view mirror, the time has come to make "Us Time" priority #1. 

[OldSnareDrummer]

Good for you, Chief. You always seemed like a man with his priorities straight. 

Now the big question - Will Dre follow foot steps and become a DCPer? He's already at Rock Star status here, you know. 

[Chief Guns]

10 minutes ago, OldSnareDrummer said:

Good for you, Chief. You always seemed like a man with his priorities straight. 

Now the big question - Will Dre follow foot steps and become a DCPer? He's already at Rock Star status here, you know. 

Thanks brother. Appreciate those kind words. 

I don't know to be honest about Dre joining DCP lol. I know for a fact he and several of the corps members follow DCP anonymously thru out the season and after shows to see what we say about them. So he is well aware of this site lol.

I picked him up last night at LAX and took him to his apartment, on the way there he hinted at maybe joining a drum corps staff in the near future, if a corps is willing to hire him. 

Who knows, you might see the fro roaming the sidelines of a corps performance and warming them up in the lot. 

We'll see what happens moving forward.

Edited August 11, 2025 by Chief Guns

[OldSnareDrummer]

3 minutes ago, Chief Guns said:

I don't know to be honest lol. I picked him up last night at LAX and took him to his apartment, on the way there he hinted at maybe joining a drum corps staff in the near future, if a corps is willing to hire him. 

Who knows, you might see the fro roaming the sidelines of a corps performance and warming them up in the lot. 

We'll see what happens. 

Folks, I don't know Chief, never had the privilege of meeting him in person, but ya know how you get a mental image of people you chat with online? My mental image of Chief is a big, strapping almost intimidating looking guy but who has a heart of gold, a true gentleman and best of all, I mean BEST of all, has a voice just like Barry White. I keep hoping he'll do a YouTube video of him belting out a round of "You're The First, The Last, My Everything"

[Chief Guns]

16 minutes ago, OldSnareDrummer said:

Folks, I don't know Chief, never had the privilege of meeting him in person, but ya know how you get a mental image of people you chat with online? My mental image of Chief is a big, strapping almost intimidating looking guy but who has a heart of gold, a true gentleman and best of all, I mean BEST of all, has a voice just like Barry White. I keep hoping he'll do a YouTube video of him belting out a round of "You're The First, The Last, My Everything"

Me singing like Barry White? No way bro LOL. 

I am more like Stewie Griffin, except 100 times worse LMAO!!!!!!!

 

 

[KVG_DC]

1 hour ago, Chief Guns said:

Thanks brother! Happy and proud to be apart of the DCP family.

I was here on DCP before my son marched, and I will certainly be here moving forward. 

But 2026 will be me and the wife's 25th anniversary. 

Unfortunately, I was deployed for our 5th, 10th and 15th anniversary's. In 2021 for our 20th, I was retiring and transitioning to civilian life, not to mention Covid was still rampant, so we didn't celebrate 20 either, or at least the way we wanted to celebrate. 

So, we decided that 2026 will be a yearlong celebration to make up for the lost years. Each month we will do something special, traveling here in the states, international etc. 

So, I'll be around and checking in from time to time, but with our daughter and son grown and out of the house, and the wear and tear of military life in the rear-view mirror, the time has come to make "Us Time" priority #1. 

Excellent plan.  My folks wanted to do Hawaii for their honeymoon but they were a couple of fairly broke kids in the early 60s.  So dad told mom "for our 25th anniversary, Hawaii."  

Where were they on their 25th anniversary?  The middle of nowhere in Eastern Tennessee as chaperones for our church youth group trip.  Lol.  It was one of these "healthy living" camps where nothing sugary was allowed. But the campground staff assigned to our group heard of the anniversary and said, "We've reserved the kitchen tonight, we're gonna send some people off site to get a mix for a cake to surprise them."  The Hawaii story had been told and the grocery market had a party store next to it so they came back with a bunch of fakey luau stuff.  It was blast.

So 10 years later, they FINALLY went to Hawaii on their 35th because both my sister and I were grown and out of the house. 

May your anniversary year be all that for you two as well! 

[Chief Guns]

Ok Mandarins, BAC got theirs!

Sac-Town............you are next on deck, and officially on the clock!