I Corps Band or America's First Corps Band (officially referred to as the 56th Army Band) is an American military band maintained by the United States Army and is attached to the Army's I Corps in United States Army Forces Command. It is currently one of two Army bands in the Pacific Northwest, the other being the 133d Army Band (Washington Army National Guard) based at Camp Murray. The 56th is currently based at Joint Base Lewis–McChord outside of Tacoma, Washington.
| 56th Army Band | |
|---|---|
 The I Corps Band pictured in 2012 during a performance children at Evergreen Elementary School in Fort Lewis | |
| Active | 8 July 1991-Present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Type | Military band |
| Role | Public duties |
| Part of | I Corps |
| HQ | Fort Lewis, Washington |
| Nickname(s) | Heartbeat of America's Corps America's First Corps Band Fightin' 56th |
| Engagements | World War II Korea War |
| Commanders | |
| Bandmaster and conductor | Chief Warrant Officer Robert Bruns |
Ensembles
editThese ensembles include:
- Brass Quintet[1]
- Woodwind Quintet
- Jazz Combo
- Rock Band
- Brass Band
- Concert Band
- Ceremonial Band
Performances
edit
Outside ceremonial performances, the band also performs throughout the Tacoma community, which frequently include K-12 schools as well as community concerts and parades. A member of the band often performs at the regimental ball of the Military Police Corps in Tacoma, Washington.[2] It also performs at the annual international band concert with the Naden Band of Maritime Forces Pacific and Navy Band Northwest at the Bremerton Performing Arts Center.[3] Being a music entity, the jazz band of the I Corps Band has performed on multiple media networks such as KNKX, which is the National Public Radio's jazz-based radio format for the Seattle metropolitan area.[4][5] In May 2014, during a concert by the band that was streamed live at a high school in Oswego, Illinois, the band held a Q&A with the local students who saw the band during an assembly.[6] In the summer of 2016, it performed at a memorial service in Enoggera, Queensland, Australia as part of the Talisman Saber exercise.[7]
Lineage
editThe lineage of the band is as follows:[8][9][10]
- Founded on 28 October 1938 in the Regular Army as the Band, 41st Engineer Regiment
- Activated on 18 November 1940 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
- Redesignated on 1 August 1942 as the Band, 41st Engineer General Service Regiment
- Redesignated on 12 October 1943 as the Band, 9th Infantry Division in Sicily, Italy and activated 2 and a half weeks later
- Reorganized and redesignated on 24 July 1944 as the 419th Army Service Forces Band
- Redesignated on 11 June 1946 as the 419th Band
- Deactivated on 10 February 1947 at Fort Dix, New Jersey
- Redesignated on 17 May 1947 as the 419th Army Band
- Redesignated 22 January 1948 as the 56th Army Band
- Activated 15 March 1948 in Japan
- Deactivated 24 June 1958 in Japan
- Activated 1 November 1962 at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas
- Deactivated 24 March 1965 at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas
- Activated 20 July 1965 at Fort Polk, Louisiana
- Deactivated on 25 May 1970 at Fort Polk, Louisiana
- Reassigned on 8 July 1991 at Fort Lewis, Washington
- Activated 16 November 1994 at Fort Lewis, Washington
Unit honors and accolades
edit- Meritorious Unit Commendation (1968)
- Order of the Day of the Belgian Army
- Gallantry Cross (South Vietnam) (1969)
- Civil Actions Medal 1st Class
- Army Commendation Medal
See also
editExternal links
edit
References
edit- ^ "Bold and Brassy: The 56th Quintet - Focus - Northwest Military - Home of The Ranger, NW Airlifter & Weekly Volcano". Northwestmilitary.com. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ "Regimental Ball honors 77 years of Military Police Corps". Army.mil. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ "International Military Band Concert". Washingtoncenter.org. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ "56th Army Jazz Band - "So What" | Jazz24". Archived from the original on 2019-10-03. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
- ^ "Live Studio Session: 56th Army Jazz Band - Be All That You Can Be-Bop". Knkx.org. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ "JBLM's 56th Army Band performs live (Sort of) for Ill. School". Archived from the original on 2019-10-17. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
- ^ "America's First Corps Band playing at the Memorial Walk". Pacom.mil. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "56TH ARMY BAND : JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON : History : Lineage". Bands.army.mil. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "56TH ARMY BAND : JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON : History : Summary". Bands.army.mil. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "Thurston County Fair Entertainment". Archived from the original on 2019-10-17. Retrieved 2019-10-17.