thedrifter
08-04-07, 06:55 AM
Take Pride in America Wednesday at Mentor Stadium
By: John Benson
Correspondent@News-Herald.com
Dotting the "i" as a member of the Ohio State University Marching Band was all Josh Dannemiller dreamed of when he was growing up in Doylestown, just south of Akron.
However, his plans to attend OSU changed when a friend took him to a Marines recruiter during his senior year of high school.
"The recruiter asked me what my interests were, and I told them I was interested in music," said Sgt. Dannemiller, calling from Washington, D.C.
"They told me about the music program. So I took an audition just for the heck of it, which I passed, and then I met some people in Washington with the Drum and Bugle Corps, and just fell in love with the place."
First a Marine and then a musician, Dannemiller completed boot camp and combat training a few years ago before joining the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps as a contrabass bugler in the Battle Color Detachment, which performs all over the world.
The outfit is scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Take Pride in America program at Mentor High School stadium. Fireworks will follow.
"What's going to happen is we start off with the Drum and Bugle Corps," Dannemiller said.
"We're going to do our field show, called 'Music in Motion 2007,' where we play everything from jazz to contemporary pop hits. We have a little bit of everything, including music from 'James Bond,' some original marches and we always close with 'The Stars and Stripes Forever.'
"We also do James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful.' Everyone starts singing along in the crowd, believe it or not. It's pretty funny."
The hour-long performance also features a silent drill team and a color guard. Talk about creating a range of emotions - Dannemiller said audiences will get swept away with the contemporary music, as well as feel the patriotism, especially considering the current situation in Iraq.
"It's something very unique, something they've never seen before," Dannemiller said.
"Between seeing all of the Marines in the uniforms, all sharp-looking, you just take it all in and get what you can out of it. People really get into it. A lot of retired Marines show up, and a lot of them are seen with tears in their eyes when we play the 'Marine Hymn.' It's their fight song, really.
"It's pretty motivating, and it just makes us feel really proud of what we do. A lot of times, they'll come up after the show and talk to us and share their stories. It's nice bonding time with them."
Dannemiller now feels as though he's dotting the "i" in "Marine" every time he performs with what he calls one of the most respected musical units in the world.
"It's really an honor to go up there and represent our corps and country," Dannemiller said.
Ellie
By: John Benson
Correspondent@News-Herald.com
Dotting the "i" as a member of the Ohio State University Marching Band was all Josh Dannemiller dreamed of when he was growing up in Doylestown, just south of Akron.
However, his plans to attend OSU changed when a friend took him to a Marines recruiter during his senior year of high school.
"The recruiter asked me what my interests were, and I told them I was interested in music," said Sgt. Dannemiller, calling from Washington, D.C.
"They told me about the music program. So I took an audition just for the heck of it, which I passed, and then I met some people in Washington with the Drum and Bugle Corps, and just fell in love with the place."
First a Marine and then a musician, Dannemiller completed boot camp and combat training a few years ago before joining the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps as a contrabass bugler in the Battle Color Detachment, which performs all over the world.
The outfit is scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Take Pride in America program at Mentor High School stadium. Fireworks will follow.
"What's going to happen is we start off with the Drum and Bugle Corps," Dannemiller said.
"We're going to do our field show, called 'Music in Motion 2007,' where we play everything from jazz to contemporary pop hits. We have a little bit of everything, including music from 'James Bond,' some original marches and we always close with 'The Stars and Stripes Forever.'
"We also do James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful.' Everyone starts singing along in the crowd, believe it or not. It's pretty funny."
The hour-long performance also features a silent drill team and a color guard. Talk about creating a range of emotions - Dannemiller said audiences will get swept away with the contemporary music, as well as feel the patriotism, especially considering the current situation in Iraq.
"It's something very unique, something they've never seen before," Dannemiller said.
"Between seeing all of the Marines in the uniforms, all sharp-looking, you just take it all in and get what you can out of it. People really get into it. A lot of retired Marines show up, and a lot of them are seen with tears in their eyes when we play the 'Marine Hymn.' It's their fight song, really.
"It's pretty motivating, and it just makes us feel really proud of what we do. A lot of times, they'll come up after the show and talk to us and share their stories. It's nice bonding time with them."
Dannemiller now feels as though he's dotting the "i" in "Marine" every time he performs with what he calls one of the most respected musical units in the world.
"It's really an honor to go up there and represent our corps and country," Dannemiller said.
Ellie