AUSTIN, Texas - With all military units comes a great degree of ceremony and fuss. Soldiers are judged by the crispness of their uniforms, how they snap to attention, their preened scalps and their ability to sound-off in unison.
Yet, for all the pomp and circumstance that goes into a typical military event, the ultimate test of a Soldier is his or her ability to perform their job under pressure.
Which begs the question; what about those units whose main job is pomp and circumstance? Are they to be judged on the merits of their accomplishments or on their ability to soldier during a crisis?
The Soldiers of the 36 Infantry Division Band are finding out the answer is both.
When then Officer Candidate Jeff Lightsey buried his face into the dirt during a routine Officer Candidate School smoke session, he believed his years of service in the 36 Infantry Division Band were over.
Lightsey had served in the band as an enlisted soldier, but after some frustrating years, he decided it was time for a change. He wanted a career that provided new challenges, and the chance to lead and manage a large contingent of soldiers.
The career of a military officer did that. Then during OCS something happened that would change his career course—the 36 ID band unit commander position was vacated and unfilled.
Immediately, Lightsey left OCS and signed up for the warrant officer program. After his training was completed, he returned to the band, this time as its leader.
Lightsey believed Texas to be a great band state and a goldmine for musicians. In his eyes, there was no reason that the division band could not be one of the best of its kind.
"When I took over the band my first priority was to push visibility, rebuild morale and raise expectations," he said.
Lightsey has been successful in completing many of his goals by raising his recruiting standards.
Under new leadership the band was given permission to recruit over strength to ensure they had slots for the best musicians they could find.
Also, any Soldier unwilling to commit to the new band standards was asked to re-evaluate their desire to stay in the band. And as Soldiers retired, Lightsey made it a point to fill that slot with a musician with stronger skills. In doing this, he fostered a positive environment with Soldiers all ready and willing to do their jobs.
"From a musical standpoint, the band challenges musicians in a way that civilian bands do not," Lightsey said when asked how he is able to recruit so many talented musicians. "This is not a high school or college band. When we compete we are competing against some of the best bands in the world."
Unlike most units which train a Soldier after recruitment, to join the band one must first audition. All new band recruits are already skilled musicians, but many of them have had little to no military training. The job of turning these musicians into soldiers falls upon a motivated group of non-commissioned officers led by First Sgt. Eddie Daffern, a percussionist.
Daffern spent most of his military career as a Marine Reservist. The Vietnam veteran left the Marine Corps after 23 years as an E-7 only to re-enlist in the Texas Army National Guard years later after a visit to the Texas Military Forces Museum.
Since being promoted to first sergeant, Daffern has ensured all band Soldiers are not only practicing their instruments but conducting Soldiers common task training as well.
"As a Marine, pride and mission accomplishment are drilled from day one and I do my best to instill that in my Soldiers," he said. "I always tell my Soldiers, that just because we are a band, we can still hold our head up high as any Soldier in any other unit, but you have to talk the talk."
The band spends a large amount of their time on the road performing. This provides little time for soldier common task training, but Daffern maintains that the band makes an extra effort to get its Soldiers trained.
This training paid off last fall when the band was activated to provide Hurricane relief during Hurricane Ike.
"We take great pride in what we do," said Sgt. Gary Brock, the tuba section leader. "During hurricane Ike I think we surprised some people. The Lieutenant who we fell under for the mission said we were the most disciplined and professional unit he had ever seen."
Lightsey said he was not surprised by his unit's performance. "We have very specific timelines for band movements that require a lot of planning and discipline. We also have a lot of combat veterans from various services in the band. For us, hurricane duty was easy."
As of today, nothing seems to be difficult for the band. In December, the division band was only the second Army Division Band and fourth Army National Guard Band to ever receive the coveted Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence, a prestigious international award for military concert bands.
To win the award the band did not only have to compete against other division bands, but also special bands. A special band is an organization attached to the Office of the President and is comparable to the London Symphony.
These bands are made up of active duty soldiers that have been hand picked from the best music schools across the country. Unlike division bands, special bands are not required to conduct the Soldier tasks of a troop unit.
"The award means a great deal," Daffern said. "It is an accomplishment of a goal that validates the policies we have put into place and is a benchmark for our organization."
In just a short time, the 36 Infantry Division Band has become one of the elite in the country, but Lightsey believes there is still more to achieve.
"We will continue working to become the premier National Guard band in the United States, representing the State of Texas, the Texas Army National Guard, and the 36 Infantry Division on the national and international level," he said.