Army needs a few good musicians

[zakur]

Story

WASHINGTON — When the Army announced recently that it was going to tap into its rarely used Individual Ready Reserve to fill vital slots for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, top military and civilian personnel said the activation was a proper response to a temporary manpower crisis.

But among the tasks included in the 5,674 jobs deemed critical to the war on terrorism are slots for two trumpet or cornet players, two French horn players, one trombonist, four clarinet players, three saxophonists, one electric bass player, one percussionist and one euphonium player.

[...]

Gen. Richard Cody, the Army vice chief of staff, told the House Armed Services Committee July 7 that the IRR call-up is focusing on combat service support because "that's where the stress and strain is." Cody noted that among the units being stressed "quite a bit" are bands, because "as you know, our bands do an awful lot of our burial services."

 

[Charlie Monoxide]

When I heard this on the "Daily Show", last night, I thought it was a joke. Kudos to the general for his honesty.

I use to play the tuba in highschool. Currently I'm unemployed. Perhaps I should join.

Charlie (only if they gaurantee I won't go to Iraq) Monoxide

 

[Michael Redman]

I got the impression John Stewart was angry when he went over the bit about the Army solving the problem of two few musicians for all the funerals by hiring more musicians, rather than trying to avoid the funerals. He seemed to have lost his will to try to make it sound humorously sarcastic.

 

[Nasarius]

I got the impression John Stewart was angry when he went over the bit about the Army solving the problem of two few musicians for all the funerals by hiring more musicians, rather than trying to avoid the funerals. He seemed to have lost his will to try to make it sound humorously sarcastic.

There's been a lot of that, lately. Check the past couple dozen clips at www.dailyshow.com. He sort of makes fun of himself for doing this at the end of a Ken Lay story: "I don't...uh, have a joke here. I just know they hate it when we talk about this stuff."
The Daily Show has become a pretty good alternative news source

 

[Michael Redman]

. . . two few musicians . . .

Two. Nice. Time for a weekend.

 

[Mason]

During war, the band serves as administrators of the prison camps.

 

[Agammamon]

Hmm, I hear there's a Syrian band touring the US right now, maybe they can help.

Bad (and tasteless) jokes aside, there have been 1,027 deaths in Iraq since the war started (30MAR03), so roughly 15 months.

That's roughly two a day so figure two funerals a day - can't they break the existing band up into smaller details.. Now I don't know how the Army does it, but being stationed on the only Navy base in my area I have to fill out the honor guard for funerals (primarily retirees, we are the navy after all - the smart ones of the bunch) and the Navy band doesn't show up to these, as a matter of fact there is no band other than a bugler.

Also you have to wonder what sort of funeral music they're playing with trumpets or cornets, French horns, trombones, clarinets, an axophonists, electric bass, a percussionist, and a euphonium.