Photo By Spc. Frank Ritchey | The Oregon Army National Guard 234 Army Band poses for a group photo after a concert...... read more read more
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WIESBADEN, Germany - When most people imagine members of the military, they most often think of Soldiers brandishing weapons ready to defend the United States. When you see that familiar camouflage pattern, it’s easy to think of the countless men and women who laid down their lives on the battlefield. Every Soldier goes through Basic Combat Training and is expected to maintain readiness to engage the enemy. However, it is essential to remember that the military is not exclusively a fighting force. In fact, only about 10% of soldiers who join fire their weapons in combat throughout their careers. The other 90% have unique support duties and responsibilities that serve the United States. This is no different for the Oregon Army National Guard’s “Oregon’s Own” 234th Army Band.
The 234th falls under the 821st Troop Command Battalion and is based out of Camp Withycombe, Clackamas, Oregon. Their mission is to promote the Army and its national interests, enable commanders to shape the environment to accomplish their mission, and set the conditions that lead to trust and confidence in America’s Army and its readiness to conduct operations in peacetime, conflict, and war. On July 23, 2023, the 234th set out to do just that; this time, instead of performing around the state of Oregon, they would be performing overseas in Germany.
“Our mission…in Germany is multifaceted,” said Staff Sgt. Duane Reno, the 234’s vocalist, explaining the overseas mission, “One is to backfill the USAREUR-AF [United States Army Europe and Africa] Band so they can go on block leave, to give them the ability to take some rest from all the missions that they do,” Reno explained, “Our ability to fall on that accomplishes one portion of the mission. Another portion of the mission is community relations. Being able to thank the community for their support and what they do in terms of recognition and interaction with the military.”
The 234th conducted 10 separate performances during 15 days on and off military installations around Germany. From formal ceremonies to 'Biergarten performances,' their music reached many people in and out of uniform. They even had the opportunity to perform at Heidelberg Castle for tourists and locals alike. This was especially impactful to members of the units it was the first time the full band had performed together since August of 2019 due to the constraints of the Coronavirus outbreak.
Another significant performance was for the reactivation ceremony of the 7th Engineer Brigade. The 7th Engineer Brigade was originally formed in 1948 and deactivated in 1991. The brigade is the only European-based Engineer Brigade and they served in both World War II and Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Members of the unit, led by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Ashley Alexander, commander of the 234th Army Band, provided musical support for the ceremony.
“Since we have been here, we have done a reactivation ceremony for the 7th Engineers, which was a very high-profile gig,” said Sgt. Thomas Richards, a member of 234th, “That particular (brigade) has a very storied history, so it was very important for us to go and support that job and commemorate that brigade coming back.”
When unit members aren’t performing as their full concert band, they are divided into Musical Performance Teams. These include “45 Away,” the band’s pop group; “‘Foxhole,” the band’s country group; “No Brass, No Ammo,” the band’s brass group; and “Withycombe Winds,” the band’s wind ensemble. Each of these groups’ unique talents and sounds ensure that the 234th could reach a large variety of people.
“The whole band has performed admirably, not just as (the concert band) but in their individual music performance teams,” Alexander said. This mission is important to the 234th because of how long it has been “in the books.” Talk and planning about this mission has been ongoing for about a decade.
“We’ve been working toward a mission like this for years,” Reno said, “I was floored when we finally got the approval… and it was like, ‘alright, it’s full go!’ Being able to make that happen, actually being here, is something that’s just amazing.”
The 234th Army Band has a large age range, providing this opportunity to older and younger Soldiers alike. For some of the younger service members, this was their first overseas mission with the Army and even their first time out of the country in general—one of the youngest soldiers, Spc. Ricky Mesa had this to say about the mission.
“I’ve gotten to do a lot of stuff that a suburban-raised kid like me wouldn’t be able to do otherwise.” he said, “You get a lot of small, unique experiences, a lot of opportunities to do good things with the Guard which is one of my favorite parts about it. I think one of the coolest parts about this mission is that you get to experience and live in a whole different country for two weeks. Work in it, experience the differences, and experience how people view the United States Army in other places.”
He explained that the importance of this mission was not lost on him and that he believed it was valuable that the unit could give a positive, outward-facing military presence to the German public.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 09.11.2023 19:25 |
| Story ID: | 453196 |
| Location: | WIESBADEN, DE |
| Web Views: | 398 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Oregon Army National Guard: bringing harmony from homeland to Deutschland, by SPC Frank Ritchey, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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