Gunner's Blog

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael Smith brought silence with a wave of his baton.

The music halted in an instant. The eyes of members of the 2nd Marine Division Band were on their conductor and band officer, listening to direction on how to eek harmonious perfection out of an already good-sounding rendition of "Here Comes Santa Claus."

"Tubas, you got 'bump, bump, bump,' right?" Smith asked them, inflecting his voice with the beat.

"Yes, sir," came the response.

The band, known across eastern North Carolina and much of the country as a musical tour-de-force, has been working extra hard for the 2005 Holiday Concert, scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday in the Camp Lejeune theater. It will be the band's first performance since August 2004.

That's because the band has since been performing its other function as a cadre of combat-ready Marines. From February to September, they have been a security force at Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi, Iraq.

It was a tour that was exhausting and challenging, Smith said.

"They got no time off," he said. "They were literally working 8 days a week, 24 hours a day. For these Marines, it was probably the busiest, most challenging thing they've done - and the most rewarding."

The band did bring their instruments to Iraq, but only played a few somber memorial services. What they saw more of was the hard-fought struggle in Iraq's volatile Al Anbar Province. Not only did the band act as the camp's perimeter security, but they guarded the camp's entrances.

During their deployment, the band's members earned 12 Combat Action Ribbons and one Purple Heart, Smith said.

"They were tired, but they were well trained and motivated," Smith said. "Of course, while we were there they were eager to go home. But now that they're rested up, some say 'we are ready to go back.' I don't think a day goes by those Marines don't think about the Marines back there at camp."

The reason for this is easy: the Marines saw progress and felt rewarded to be a part of it, Smith said.

"They were over there and they saw through first-hand experience all the good things going on," he said. "We saw a lot of change for the good. It's like putting in a full day's work and feeling, 'I did this, I accomplished it.' "

The band - especially those who were in Iraq for the first time - has a better appreciation for what the Marine Corps means.

"From the day you go to boot camp, you are told every Marine is a basic rifleman," Smith said. "Now there's a little more heart. Now it's understood."

Connected by discipline

Music has always enjoyed a close relationship with the martial life. The armies of ancient China pounded drums to issue orders before battle. Trumpets, among the most famous of wartime instruments, were used for giving signals during battle and used by cultures as diverse as the Egyptians, Celts and Romans. In Ancient Greece, trumpet competitions were held during the Olympic games as a martial competition.

Bands were used throughout the 18th and 19th centuries not just as means of communication and intimidation, but also inspiration. Union troops in the Civil War marched to battle to "The Battle Cry of Freedom."

While today's military music is more about ritual and tradition than command and control on the battlefield, music and military life is still very connected.

"It's connected by the discipline that both functions demand," said Master Gunnery Sgt. Mark Michielsen, the band's chief enlisted member. "You're serving your country in a manner that uses your skills. We could do this on the outside, but it's about being a Marine."

Smith agreed.

"To be successful with a weapon, you can't just point and pull a trigger," said Smith. "To be successful with a musical instrument, you can't just blow and push buttons. One is directed to the enemy and one's the audience."

And while bands may not march to battle with the grunts, the band members often become grunts during times of war. During World War II, the 2nd Marine Division Band fought in the Pacific on bloody islands like Tarawa and Guadalcanal. It did not see combat in Korea or Vietnam, but did fight in the first Gulf War.

Cpl. Jesse Ilderton, 20, a drummer from of Summerville, S.C., said it was a privilege to go into the field in Iraq.

"There are only a select few in the band field who have been deployed," he said. "It's a big privilege to be able to do it as a band member. It was very rewarding."

'More Emotion'

The band began preparations for the holiday concert in June while still in Iraq. Originally, they were expected to stay until February, but the Marine Corps made the decision to bring them home earlier. When they returned in September, they had lots of musical work to do - especially the last few weeks.

"These guys are putting in some hours: morning, afternoon and night," Michielsen said. "Most of the guys are still here at 2100 and 2200 hours. They are putting everything they got into it."

But while the deployment may have cut down on practice time, Smith said he feels the Marines are better musicians because of it.

"There's a little bit more emotion now," he said. "When they need to convey the feeling of exhaustion and the dark colors of misery, and even elation - because there was elation (in Iraq) - they can do that better now."

And because the deployment played such a prominent role in the band's life for the last year, Smith said concert goers can expect some new wrinkles in the band's stage performance. The Daily News won't spoil the surprise, but the audience will definitely be left wondering how they got home so quickly.

~G: Mike is a personal friend, as is his father - a retired CWO4, who is currently in IRAQ with a DoD contractor.

Link to 2nd Marine Division Band