[TPIN] Military Bands - a new thread?

[Allegro69]

My experience in the Navy was the among the best in my life. Contrary to
popular belief, the most freedom you could ever have in your life was in the
military. Just do your job and don't get caught. Despite all the freedom we
had, being 20 or so, I wasn't mature or experienced enough in life to best
handle it. Aside from that, my Navy unit band deployed in the Mediterranean
did concerts galore throughout the Med countries. The musicians were among
the first to shore soon after the ship (the aircraft carrier U.S.S.
Forrestal) anchored some 2 or 3 miles out from land. To get to land, we had
to load ourselves and a ton of gear onto a liberty boat that would ferry us
to shore. One Christmas day, our port of call was Athens. We did 3 or 4
concerts, took in the city, and finally went back to the ship. Again, we
loaded the liberty boat and motored on back. That night, the weather was
heavy. That liberty boat was all over the place where for one moment, the
boat nearly capsized. It was a terrible ride. After getting back to the
ship, we got settled in stowing our gear, only to have the division officer
tell us to pack up and go back to Athens and board a military aircraft bound
for Ethiopia leaving at 0430 hours. Another bad ride on the liberty boat. We
were to be there for a month, combined with the band on the U.S.S. Boston,
where we toured the area, winding up the tour by performing at the first
graduation ceremony of the Ethiopian Navy Academy. It was a big deal where
Emperor Haile Selassie, King Olaf of (somewhere), and other crowned royals
were in attendance, as well as musical and other types of performing units
that represented their countries. It was a stunning affair to say the least.
Of course there were political issues where we were briefed to avoid
hobnobbing with people from certain countries. Military musicians have a
mind of their own and kind of skirt around 'orders'. As it turned out, after
the ceremony, the band found a bar nearby. Soon, a bunch of people from a
country we were not supposed to hobnob with showed up. Despite the politics,
we got together and had a great time exchanging toasts by saying to each
other "What Cold War"? That trip alone was worth the entire 4 years I
served. I have photos galore that I look at. I also have memories galore
about when the band went back to the ship and ended up with dysentery. We
spent the next 3 weeks at sea, laid up in our racks.