4th Infantry Division Band serves music, morale with honor

Courtesy Photo | Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, commander of 4th Infantry Division and Multi-National Division – Baghdad, speaks with family members back home in Fort Hood and Fort Carson during a recent Town Hall meeting at the Media Operations Center on Camp Liberty as members of the 4th Inf. Div. Band prepare for a resounding rendition of the 4th Infantry Division March to close out the event. Hammond, who has been dubbed by the band members as their "Greatest Fan," provides them with ample opportunities to do what they enjoy most – making music for the troops.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

01.10.2009

Courtesy Story

Multi-National Division Baghdad

By 1st Lt. Shawn Clark
Multi-National Division – Baghdad

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – There is a reason a Soldier's chest will swell just a bit more as he or she listens to the national anthem in honor of our country or listens to taps in remembrance of a fallen comrade. These events are more powerful because of something they have in common: they have their own theme music.

Thanks to a group of dedicated individuals, Soldiers of 4th Infantry Division and Multi-National Division – Baghdad deployed to Camp Liberty and the surrounding areas around Iraq's capital city, have enjoyed the highly talented 4th Inf. Div. Band; through their musical talents and efforts, they strive to help make special events more special and solemn times more dignified.

Soldiers in the band will tell you they are a Soldier first, trained and proficient as any other. Where these Soldiers may differ a little from their peers, however, is their experience in their chosen trade prior to making their commitment to their nation and the Army.

Becoming a member of an Army band is not as simple as one recruit being issued a weapon, the next a mop and the next one a trumpet, said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Robert Nixon, commander of the 4th Inf. Div. Band, who is a native of Lebanon, Ohio. In fact, it takes years of special training and hard work to play in a division-level band. It also takes the support of the division leadership as well.

Nixon said he is particularly grateful for their number-one fan and the support and direction he provides.

"Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, the commanding general for the 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, gave us a mission and said, 'You will play music; that is what I want you to do. I don't want to hear about you pulling guard duty because you are a band.' He has made our deployment 100 percent successful by employing us to do what we are trained to do – play music," Nixon said.

Normally a band is tasked out for guard duty when deployed, a task they have accepted and excelled at in the past, said 1st Sgt. Jeremy Smelser, a native of Killeen, Texas, who serves as the senior enlisted leader of the band. During this deployment, because of the strong support from the command, they have been able to achieve a great balance of doing their mission and supporting the overall mission by volunteering for other duties.

"Well, you know we run the 4th Inf. Div. gym, right?" Smelser said, with obvious pride.

He admits running the gym is a win-win situation because it has allowed the members of the band to take on additional responsibilities, provide a valuable service to all service members and civilians deployed to Camp Liberty, and all with the added bonus of the opportunity to get themselves in shape. When the chance came up to manage the division gym, Smelser volunteered his unit on the spot and never looked back. They now pride themselves on winning local physical training challenges with other units and the benefits of proving good customer service to gym patrons and working out during their off time has translated directly into the bands overall performance.

"A good physical foundation allows a Soldier to excel in every other area of life, and it definitely helps build the confidence needed to perform at a division level," Smelser said.

Sgt. 1st Class Henry Reyna, a native of San Antonio, Texas, said he believes the best thing about being in the band is that its members get the opportunity to see everything and go everywhere as they perform.

"We see ourselves as ambassadors of the Army, and as the 4th Inf. Div. Band ... we have been able to do just that."

Getting out there, close to their fellow Soldiers, to provide them with music for the memorials, the ceremonies and the celebrations that have come and gone during the long days of the division's deployment has been the band's mission since arriving in Baghdad. It is a mission they have performed with the precision and harmony of a perfectly tuned instrument.

• Date Taken: 01.10.2009
• Date Posted: 01.10.2009 11:54
• Story ID: 28695
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ