Photo By Staff Sgt. Christopher O'Quin | Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Bley, a musician placement director for 1st Marine Corps...... read more read more
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BUFFALO, N.Y. - Many high school students learn an instrument, earn their credit, and move onto something else. Fewer continue in college and maybe go onto play for a philharmonic or band. Then there are those among the fewest whose calling lies with the Nation’s Few and Proud.
One such musician is Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan P. Bley. For the past 15 years, the Corps has been the amp to his bass, a means to project his passion for music with the Fleet Marine Force serving as his stage. Now his time on this stage is nearing an end, for he will soon be retiring from the Corps to pursue other musical desires.
Upon first glance at “Gunny” Bley, one sees a tall and skinny Leatherneck, a body type kept slim through many years of long distance running. His brown medium military fade haircut adds to his well-kept demeanor while high cheekbones frame his face and add extra warmth to his smile. When he dons his dress blues for his performances and duties, the uniform’s appearance is immaculate. His ease of movement signifies many years of wear, yet the lack of fading, fraying or wrinkles show that he keeps his uniform care a priority on par with that of his instrument.
His farewell tour is with 1st Marine Corps District as a Marine Musician Placement Director. For the past year and a half, his duties included interviewing young musicians for recruitment into the Marine Corps, playing bass for Marine Corps sponsored events and general support for recruiting efforts in the Northeastern United States. Through the Marine Music Program, he supports numerous students of music who have applied to join The Commandant’s Own Drum and Bugle Corps, or one of 10 Marine Bands throughout the Corps.
“I came right out of high school to join the prestigious Marine music program without going to college first, which isn’t easy,” said Bley, a North Tonawanda, New York, native. “ My career has taken me all over, playing with too many awesome musicians to count.”
His parents were music educators and passed their passion onto him. He started playing trumpet when he was in third grade and moved to bass when he was 12.
“We supported him as much as we could,” said Sharon Miles, Bley’s mother who is also a former Orchestra Director for Sweet Home Schools in Buffalo, New York. “We gave him private lessons, forced him to practice when he didn’t want to and went to his recitals. When I heard he wanted to become a Marine I knew the Corps was an excellent choice and a perfect fit.”
Since 2000, he has served close to home in Garden City, New York and on the other side of the globe in Okinawa, Japan, as well as San Diego, Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
His career has been filled with moments of exuberance and rewarding events. He earned the Marine Corps Staff Noncommissioned Officer Musician of the Year Award (2011), played for diplomats and decorated warriors, toured with and performed with world-renowned musicians and patrolled Fallujah in Al Anbar Province of Iraq. One moment will always remain with Bley as the defining moment of his career is his performance at The Lincoln Center in New York City.
“It’s such a life affirming moment mainly because of how far I’ve come from these past 15 years,” said Bley. “Book ending my career is this privilege to not only play The Lincoln Center, but do it with world renowned trumpet player and jazz artist Jon Faddis. I can’t easily put to words how humbling it was.”
Learning more about the Marine Bley is now, requires one to ask the people he’s worked with throughout his career. Bley is too humble to speak about himself.
“When I first met him at [Marine Corps Recruit Depot] San Diego in 2009, something clicked right away,” said Gunnery Sgt. Christian A. Arellano, the Marine musician placement director with 12th Marine Corps District. “[Bley’s] been the kind of person who influences those around him for the better. He’s one of the most knowledgeable Marines I’ve had the pleasure of knowing.”
Bley’s Marine musical career will end in September. But he has no intention of putting down his bass after 20 years of playing.
“Right now I’m looking into pursuing law enforcement for Virginia Beach area,” said Bley. “I’ll always be playing my bass at home. Music will always be part of who I am and what I do. This is just another way I can give back to my country.”
Thanks to his devotion to the Corps and his musical talents, he has recruited talented individuals who will benefit this nation for many more years to come.
“I feel honored, to have served my country,” added Bley. “I’m so very humbled by the people I’ve served and played music with. The lifelong friends earned and the many talented people young and old I’ve met will be fond memories.”
| Date Taken: | 03.23.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.23.2015 15:13 |
| Story ID: | 157811 |
| Location: | BUFFALO, NY, US |
| Hometown: | NORTH TONAWANDA, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 1,125 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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