Music Over There

  

My collection has dozens and dozens of photos of military bands on parade, or in concert, or at camp, or on board ship. But this is the first one that shows the most common duty of a military band—playing for a flag ceremony. It's also the first one to show the flag of the United States of America in motion. 

It's a 48-star flag with stars in a neat order of six rows of eight. This was the flag adopted by congress in 1912 after statehood was granted to New Mexico, (#47 - January 6, 1912) and Arizona, (#48 - February 14, 1912). It's fastened to a halyard on a stout pole that is near some barrack-like buildings. Three soldiers stand at the flagpole and near them is the front line of an army band with its drum major at attention.

The rest of the band are behind on a white sand/gravel track. There are about 28 musicians and they seem to be playing as the camera takes their picture. It's an uncommon photo to find as most of the American military bands in my collection are usually posed at ease with their instruments down.

The full photo shows the band and flag. There's even a dog, too. Maybe the band's mascot? What's missing are the rest of the troops saluting the flag. I suspect they are assembled at a parade ground to the left beyond the camera frame.

Despite its uncommon qualities, the photo records a very ordinary event in the daily life of soldiers in camp—a flag ceremony. Here is a description that I found on TodaysMilitary.com. 

Reveille is sounded at bases around the world at sunrise, Reveille signals the beginning of the duty day and is a cue for service members to assemble for a morning roll call. Reveille is accompanied by the raising of the base’s colors and the U.S. flag, during which service members are required to stand at attention and face the colors and flag, if visible. If the flag is not within sight, they are to face the direction of the music. If reveille is followed by playing of the national anthem or “To the Color,” service members should salute for the duration of the song.

Retreat is sounded at sunset, Retreat marks the end of the workday. Retreat is accompanied by a ceremonious lowering of the base’s colors and the U.S. flag, during which service members are required to stand at attention and face the colors and flag, if visible. If the flag is not within sight, they are to face the direction of the music. If retreat is followed by playing of the national anthem or “To the Color,” service members should salute for the duration of the song.

Taps is sounded at 2100 hours (9 p.m.), Taps is the final call of the day, and indicates lights out and marks “quiet time” on the base. Service members do not have to stand at attention or salute at this time. To honor fallen military members, Taps is also sounded at military funerals, during which members are expected to stand at attention and salute for the entirety of the song.

Each day begins and ends with a bugle call and as the flag is raised or lowered buglers play "To the Color" or a band will play the National Anthem. It's a time-honored tradition that is still part of daily military life for American servicepeople. Though since the introduction of recordings, sometimes it's not a live rendition of the bugler's call.

But what made this ordinary photo exceptional was a message on the back. The postcard was printed in France—Carte Postale, Correspondance, Adresse, and has a stamped imprint for PHOTO BERARD, 43, Intendance, Bordeaux. Written in English by a clear hand is a short account of the photo. 

                                    looks west and this one east.  Seems
                                    as tho'  we are right out in the woods
                                    doesn't it  –  but that is just a little
                                    grove of pines.  The different bands
                                    that come through camp play for
                                    "Retreat" and sometimes they give
                                    us a little concert before Retreat.
                                    Gave us a dandy one last night.

The writer is an unknown American soldier, maybe an officer, who has sent this postcard home along with other photos and a letter. Perhaps he even took the photo himself. However this is the only photo I acquired so the rest of his message, as well as his identity, place and date is unknown. But for me what makes it special, of course, is his mention of the band. 

Bordeaux was one of four French ports, La Pallice, Saint Nazaire, and Brest being the other three,  where troops of the American Expeditionary Forces first assembled to join America's allies fighting in World War One. After President Woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany on 6 April 1917, it took several months to mobilize a full military force. The first American soldiers did not reach France until June 1917 and then were only a small  force of 14,000. Consequently the AEF did not participate in any significant combat action until late October 1917. Yet problems with transporting troops, weapons, equipment, and supplies across the Atlantic were eventually resolved so that by May 1918 over one million American troops had arrived in France. Before the war ended in November 1918, the United States military numbered 2,057,675 men. 

The soldiers in my photo are wearing the same uniforms, caps, and leggings worn by AEF troops in 1917-18 so I am confident that this is the time frame for this photo and not 1944-45. But there is another little clue in the photo that can help identify which unit the band is attached to. On the bass drumhead is a stenciled shape of a castle that matches the insignia of the Engineer Corps.

1917 U. S. Army Insignia

In the brief time that U. S. troops were Over There, around 200 bands were deployed to France. There were headquarters bands for infantry, cavalry, engineers, field artillery, and coast artillery, not to mention navy bands too. This decision to promote military bands came straight from the top, Major General John J. Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Force. On his arrival in France in June 1917 General Pershing was impressed by the high quality of French and British army bands and dismayed by the dismal contrast that American bands made. He resolved to make sure that training army bandsmen was included in the vast AEF preparations for war. 

This photo is a small example of how music and army traditions are tied together. Pershing had to organize and prepare millions of men to engage in a foreign war. After three years of bloodshed there was no mystery about the dangers American troops would face. President Wilson urged that Americans should undertake this action to "Make the world safe for democracy." But with millions of men being drafted into military service slogans were not enough. Americans needed to be inspired to accept this perilous mission. Music played a part. 

In 1917 "The Star Spangled Banner" was a song usually played only by military bands. Though Francis Scott Key's patriotic poem from 1814 had been first adopted as a ceremonial standard by the United States Navy in 1889, and latter played by army and guard bands, the U. S. Congress waited until March 1931 to make it the official national anthem of the United States. Yet because of the message I think it very likely that the band in this photo is playing "The Banner" as the flag is being lowered for Retreat.

Today is Saturday 24 May, 2025. This Monday will be Memorial Day, a National Holiday when Americans honor the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. This sacrifice has a special meaning for servicemen and servicewomen who remember their comrades on this day. 

In World War One, as American soldiers fought alongside soldiers from France, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia against the Imperial German Army, the cost of war acquired a greater significance. Between April 1917 and 11 November 1918, the American Expeditionary Force sustained about 320,000 casualties: 53,402 battle deaths, 63,114 noncombat deaths and 204,000 wounded. It is for them that we pause when we see the flag, put a hand to our heart or give a salute, and listen to our national anthem. 

The U. S. Army has a channel on YouTube

which has this brief explanation on

Rendering Honors to the Colors of the Flag.

And to finish here is an excerpt

of the Retreat Ceremony

from the 1942 film The Bugle Sounds.

It depicts a different war from the one

experienced by this unknown Engineers Band 

and it's a Hollywood movie, of course,

but the military tradition is the same then

as it was in 1918

and as it is in 2025. 

"The Bugle Sounds" is a 1942 American movie directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring Wallace Beery as a cavalry sergeant in World War Two. The sergeant is opposed to replacing horses with modern tanks and his resistance gets him kicked out the army. But it's a fake setup to turn him into a double agent against German spies. This excerpt may be only memorable part of the film. 

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday

where forgotten family photos

are a familiar family tradition.