By 43rd Army Band
Omaha, NE – The 43rd Army Band of the Nebraska National Guard will be performing seven concerts as part of their 15-day Annual Training concert tour from July 1-8th. The band will perform concerts in Hay Springs, Fort Robinson, Alliance, Hot Springs, South Dakota; Scottsbluff as part of the Bands on Broadway series; in Chadron for Fur Trade Days and at the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota. The concerts will include approximately 90 minutes of music featuring patriotic selections, marches and popular music performed by the 37-member band. The concerts are free and open to the public. All are invited to enjoy an evening of music.
The 43rd Army Band is under the command of Chief Warrant Officer 2, Paul Kenney. The 43rd Army Band is comprised of citizen soldiers who bring a wide variety of skills, talents and longevity to the unit. The average years of service of the senior non-commissioned officer staff is in excess of 20 years. In addition, the members’ various civilian jobs and experiences contribute a great deal to the overall success of the 43rd Army Band. The band meets one weekend a month and 15 days during the summer to rehearse and fulfill military training requirements. The 43rd Army Band consists of the concert band, Sierra Niner – rock/pop group, Heartland Revival – country/bluegrass, the Black Hawk Brass – brass band and the Sharpshooter Winds – small wind ensemble.
The band traces its history back to 1924 when it was created in Crete, Nebraska as the “Band Section, Service Company 110th Medical Regiment.” Throughout its history, the band has had several reorganizations and on March 3, 1948, the band was federally recognized as the 43rd Army Band. The mission of the band is to provide musical entertainment for the morale of soldiers and to support local communities. As musical ambassadors of the Nebraska National Guard, the 43rd Army Band represents the National Guard at a variety of civilian and official military functions throughout Nebraska performing at parades, concerts, and political inaugurations. For annual training, the 43rd Army Band either trains on an active duty base or supports local communities and recruiters by performing concert tours throughout Nebraska. The 43rd Army Band has also had the privilege of performing at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; the West Point Military Academy, New York; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Monroe, Virginia; Tompkins Barracks, Germany and Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
The Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence, which is awarded by the John Philip Sousa Foundation, is an annual international competition for active duty and reserve component bands. Military bands can submit application for this citation every three years. The 43rd Army Band leads all active and reserve component bands by receiving ten consecutive citations spanning 27 years of musical excellence. Other awards presented to the 43rd Army Band include: the Chief of Staff, Army Supply Excellence Award; the Colonel Don Hatten Award for Supply Excellence; the Army National Guard Bureau Superior Unit Award; the Eisenhower Most Outstanding Company Trophy; and the National Guard Bureau John J. Pershing Trophy.