Updated at 12:54 p.m., Thursday, May 17, 2007
Fife and Drum corps to perform at 'Mighty Mo' pier
Advertiser Staff
The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps will perform tomorrow in the shadow of the "Mighty Mo" battleship.The free performance will take place at 1 p.m. tomorrow pierside at the Battleship Missouri Memorial on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor.
No admission fee is required. For visitors who do not have Department of Defense access to Ford Island, roundtrip transportation will be provided for a flat $3 per person fee, via air-conditioned motor coaches directly from the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park.
Shuttle service is also complimentary with purchase of admission to the Missouri.
The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, stationed at Fort Myer, Va., is part of the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) and is the only unit of its kind in the Armed Forces. The musicians of this unit recall the days of the American Revolution with parade uniforms patterned after those worn by the musicians of Gen. George Washington's Continental Army.
Military musicians of the period wore the reverse colors of the regiments to which they were assigned. The uniforms worn by the members of the corps are dated circa 1781, and consist of black tricorn hats, white wigs, waistcoats, colonial coveralls and red regimental coats.
The drum major of the unit is distinguished from the other musicians by his headgear, the light-infantry cap. In contrast to modern Army bands, and as an indication of prominence, he carries a spontoon instead of the standard mace. The spontoon is an 18th-century weapon carried by officers.
The 69-member corps uses 10-hole fifes, handmade rope-tensioned drums and single-valve bugles. While traveling, the marching strength of the unit is normally 22 musicians, the drum major and support personnel.
As an official representative of the U.S. Army, the corps take part in parades, pageants and historical celebrations, and has participated in every Presidential Inaugural Parade since President John F. Kennedy's in 1961.
The Battleship Missouri Memorial is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $16 per adult and $8 per child 4-12. Military and kama'aina rates are $10 per adult and $5 per child. Guided tours are additional. For more information or to reserve a tour, call toll-free at 1-877-MIGHTYMO (1-877-644-4896) or visit www.ussmissouri.org.
The battleship Missouri is an American icon maintained and operated as the Battleship Missouri Memorial under the tireless care of the staff and volunteers of the USS Missouri Memorial Association, Inc., a private Hawai'i-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to create and maintain a fitting memorial to the people and historic events reflecting our nation's legacy of duty, honor, strength, resolve and sacrifice.
