The United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps has been directly designated as "The Commandant's Own" due to the historical connection with the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The D&B is entirely separate from its sister organization, the United States Marine Band ("The President's Own"), as well as the ten active-duty United States Marine Corps field bands. The United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps travels more than 50,000 miles (80,000km) annually, performing over 400 events worldwide.
During the summer months, the D&B performs in conjunction with "The President's Own" in the traditional Friday Evening Parades at Marine Barracks Washington, and in the Tuesday Sunset Parades at the Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Monument) in Arlington, Virginia. These parades are not street parades, but military parades consisting of ceremonial pomp that are symbolic of Marine professionalism, discipline, and esprit de corps.[2]
Major Nathan D. Morris, of Marietta, Georgia is the seventh and current Commanding Officer of "The Commandant's Own" United States Drum & Bugle Corps, serving in this position since February 2022. Captain Courtney R. Lawrence, of Austin, Texas is the Executive Officer and Director. Master Gunnery Sergeant Joshua Dannemiller, of Doylestown, Ohio is the Drum Major. Master Sergeant David Cox, of Richmond, Virginia is the Assistant Drum Major.[1]
History
"The Commandant's Own" The United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps with then President George W. Bush while in France.
The unit's history traces to the early days of the Marine Corps. In the 18th and 19th centuries, military musicians ("field musics") provided a means of passing commands to Marines in battle. The sound of various drum beats and bugle calls that could be heard over the noise of the battlefield signaled Marines to attack the enemy or retreat. Through the 1930s, Marine Corps posts still authorized several buglers and drummers to play the traditional calls and to ring a ship's bell to signal the time. Until the 1960s, Marine Corps units across the country sported unit drum and bugle corps within their respective rosters.
History of the Commanding and Executive Officers: Chris G. Stergiou (1949 - 1969)
Gary L. Losey (1957 - 1973)
Truman W. Crawford (1973 - 1998)
Melvin B. Estes (1984 - 1989)
David C. Wolfe (1988 - 1994)
Brent A. Harrison (1995 - 2009)
Brian J. Dix (1999 - 2015)
Christopher E. Hall (2010 - 2017)
James D. Foley (2015 - 2021)
Nate Morris (2018 - Release)
Courtney Lawrence (2019 - Release)
Patrick Montgomery (NOW)
History of the Drum Majors: Chris G. Stergiou (1934 - 1960)
William O. Nickoff (1953 - 1957)
Eugene S. Belschner (1957 - 1967)
Gary L. Losey (1961 - 1969)
Dennis E. Carroll (1969 - 1972
Rolland L. Henderson (1972 - 1975)
Eric F. Bay (1975 - 1978)
Michael J. Patri (1978 - 1983)
Gary A. Petersen (1983 - 1989)
James L. Marcil (1984 - 1989)
Michael H. Gardner (1988 - 1997)
James P. O'Keefe Jr. (1995 - 2000)
Mark S. Miller (2000 - 2009)
Kevin D. Buckles (2002 - 2019)
Keith G. Martinez (2010 - 2022)
Joshua D. Dannemiller (2018 - Release)
David J. Cox (2021 - Release)
"The Commandant's Own" The United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps, the only such formation within the Armed Forces today, was formed in September 1934 at historic Marine Barracks Washington to augment the United States Marine Band where the unit provided musical support to ceremonies around the nation's capital. It was additionally tasked with presidential support duties during World War II, and for this additional role, they were awarded the scarlet and gold breast cord by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which remains on the uniform today. When the war ended, the United States Drum and Bugle Corps resumed performing at various military and public ceremonies.
In the early 1950s, the unit gained considerable acclaim performing for an increasing number of civilian audiences. Originally their instrumentation was similar to the other drum and bugle corps of the era. It has evolved along with the civilian corps, adapting trends after they have become established by the civilian corps. Music composed specifically for their unique selection of instruments helped establish their reputation for excellence during this period. These factors also led to the unit's formal designation as "The Commandant's Own", a title noting their unique connection to the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
In 1968, Truman Crawford, formerly of the United States Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps, became a musical arranger and instructor for The Commandant's Own. During his 30-year career, he had a significant impact on the D&B comparable to that of John Philip Sousa on the United States Marine Band. The primary rehearsal hall of "The Commandant's Own" at Marine Barracks Washington is named Truman Crawford Hall in his honor.[3]
Following Recruit Training and Marine Combat Training, Drum and Bugle Corps members proceed directly to Marine Barracks Washington for duty with "The Commandant's Own". They do not attend any additional Military Occupational Specialty training.
The Marines of the United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps wear red and white uniforms [5] with white gauntlets which cover the wrists and bear and play brassinstruments, marching drums, and various front ensemble instruments.
Master Sergeant Kevin D. Buckles, former Drum Major of the United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps "The Commandant's Own" holding a ceremonial mace.
The brass instruments played by "The Commandant's Own" are buglespitched in G. There are 4 sections within the hornline: Soprano Bugle, Mellophone Bugle, Baritone Bugle, and Contrabass Bugle. In January of 2021 the unit transitioned from the two-valved models utilized by the Drum Corps for decades, to three-valved versions, allowing the brass section to play the complete chromatic scale. Formerly the D&B, as well as various unit bugle corps, also had fifers up til the 1940s.
A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of bandmaster or music director. Ottoman military bands are thought to be the oldest variety of military marching bands in the world, dating from the 13th century.
Classic drum and bugle corps are musical ensembles that descended from military bugle and drum units returning from World War I and succeeding wars. Traditionally, drum and bugle corps served as signaling units as early as before the American Civil War, with these signaling units having descended in some fashion from ancient drum and fife corps. With the advent of the radio, bugle signaling units became obsolete and surplus equipment was sold to veteran organizations. These organizations formed drum and bugle corps of civilians and veterans, and the corps performed in community events and local celebrations. Over time, rivalries between corps emerged and the competitive drum and bugle corps circuit evolved.
The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in the United States. Today, the Marine Band includes the Marine Chamber Orchestra and Marine Chamber Ensembles.
United States military bands include musical ensembles maintained by the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, United States Air Force, and United States Coast Guard. More broadly, they can also include musical ensembles of other federal and state uniformed services, including the Public Health Service and NOAA Corps, the state defense forces, and the senior military colleges.
Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. is located at the corner of 8th and I streets, Southeast in Washington, D.C. Established in 1801, it is a National Historic Landmark, the oldest post in the United States Marine Corps, the official residence of the Commandant of the Marine Corps since 1806, and the main ceremonial grounds of the Corps. It is home to the U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and the U.S. Marine Band. Barracks Marines conduct ceremonial missions in and around the National Capital Region as well as abroad. They also provide security at designated locations around Washington, D.C. as necessary, and Barracks officers are part of the White House Social Aide Program.
The Royal Marines Band Service is the musical wing of the Royal Navy and an independent element of the Royal Marines. It currently consists of five bands plus a training wing – the Royal Marines School of Music at HMS Nelson – and its headquarters is at HMS Excellent, Whale Island, Portsmouth.
Musician (Mus) is a rank equivalent to Private held by members of the Royal Corps of Army Music of the British Army and the Royal Marines Band Service. The rank was also previously used in the United States Army and Confederate States Army.
A corps of drums, sometimes known as a fife and drum corps or simply field music, is a traditional European military music formation. Historically, a Corps of Drums' primary role was communication. Today, the primary role of a Corps of Drums is ceremonial, performing in parades and military ceremonies. Besides drums, this formation may contain a variety of instruments, including trumpets, bugles, and fifes.
A fanfare band, fanfare corps, fanfare battery, fanfare team, horn and drum corps, bugle band, drum and bugle corps, or trumpet and drum band is a military or civilian musical ensemble composed of percussion instruments, bugles, natural horns and natural trumpets. Fanfare bands are the descendants of the old medieval trumpet and drum teams that sounded fanfares on important occasions and are related to drum and bugle corps internationally.
Canadian military bands are a group of personnel in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) that performs musical duties for military functions. Military bands form a part of the Music Branch of the CAF, composed of six full-time professional Regular Force bands, 15 Regular Force voluntary bands, and 53 part-time reserve force bands. Bands of the Music Branch are often badged with the unit or Canadian Forces base insignia that they support.
Colonel Truman W. "Tru" Crawford (USMC) was a music arranger, composer, and conductor for drum and bugle corps. He was the long-time commander and director of "The Commandant's Own," the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps after having previously served as musical director of the United States Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps.
The Namibian Marines Corps are the marines of Namibia and is part of the Namibian Navy and the Namibian Defence Force.
The United States Air Force Academy Drum and Bugle Corps also known as the Flight of Sound is the drum and bugle corps of the United States Air Force Academy and a military band in the United States Armed Forces. Unlike United States Air Force Academy Band, the drum and bugle corps is staffed by USAFA cadets from the Cadet Wing. 80 cadets make up the band, with 60% of the members being from the freshman class. The two bands perform in different uniforms, with the former wearing the full dress uniform of the United States Air Force while the latter wears the standard cadet uniform. Compared to the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, it is not a full time band.
The Music of the Foreign Legion, formerly known as the Principal Music of the Foreign Legion is a Military band of the French Foreign Legion.
The Brazilian Marine Pipes, Drum and Bugle Corps is the only field music formation in service in the Brazilian Marine Corps and within the wider Brazilian Navy, and one of a few active formations today in service in the Brazilian Armed Forces. Formed in 1822 on the basis of the field music formations of the present day Portuguese Marine Corps stationed in Brazil, it is also the oldest in South America.
The Sunset Parade is a military parade performed by the United States Marine Corps at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It is very loosely based on the Landing Party Manual and is executed on Tuesday evenings in the summer, involving approximately 200 personnel drawn from the garrison of Marine Barracks Washington.
A mounted band is a military or civilian musical ensemble composed of musician playing their instruments while being mounted on an animal. The instrumentation of these bands are limited, with the musician having to play their instrument, as well as steer the animal to the designated location. Most mounted bands, therefore, use instruments that can easily be held, such as bugles, horns, and Fanfare trumpets. Timpani and glockenspiels are also a common feature, usually located at the head of a band. Although a band that is mounted on any member of the families Equidae and Camelidae are considered to be a mounted band, horses are most commonly used, mostly being employed in military bands in Europe, North and South America, and some parts of Asia.
The Friday Evening Parade is a public duty performed by the United States Marine Corps at Marine Barracks Washington. It is executed on Friday evenings during the summer months. The parade's drill is loosely based on the Landing Party Manual.
The Philippine Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Team (MDBT) is the drum and bugle corps as well as the prime musical unit of the Philippine Marine Corps. The MDBT is now the only full-time active duty drum corps in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). This unit emulates the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps of the United States Marine Corps. The MDBT is led by an NCO Drum Major during parades.
The military bands of the United Kingdom are musical units that serve for protocol and ceremonial duties as part of the British Armed Forces. They have been the basis and inspiration for many military bands in the former British Empire and the larger Commonwealth of Nations as well as musical organizations in other countries. Military musical units with British influence include United States military bands, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Music Corps and the Military Band of Athens. British military bands are controlled by the military music departments of the three services that compose the armed forces. These include the Royal Marines Band Service, the Royal Corps of Army Music, and the Royal Air Force Music Services. British style brass bands and carnival bands were then and are currently inspired by the British Armed Forces and its brass bands, especially of the Army's regular and reserve formations, as they follow a similar format as it relates to brass and percussion instruments.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
United States 
USMC 
