A Musical Salute in France

By Julia Baumanis (B.M.E ’10, M.M. ’16, Ph.D. ’19)

Anyone who has ever attended an FSU football game has heard, “And now, the University College of Music proudly presents the world-renowned Florida State University Marching Chiefs!”

These words said by David Westberry (B.S. ’80), the current voice of the 420-member Marching Chiefs, reference the international trips made by the band in its 80-year history. They first earned the “world-renowned” monicker in 1974 on their tour of the Middle East when the band traveled to Syria as guests of the U.S. Department of State to perform at the International Trade Fair and then in a command performance for Jordan’s King Hussein in Amman, Jordan’s capital. In 1997, the Chiefs traveled to London to perform a halftime show for the World Football League’s London Monarchs.

A Marching Chiefs performance in London's Trafalgar Square in 1997.

Photo by Robin McLaurin (B.S. ’97)

This summer, the Chiefs made their third trip overseas as students, alumni and staff embarked on a weeklong trip to France as the only collegiate band invited to participate in the D-Day 75 Memorial Parade in Normandy on June 6, 2019. The parade marked the 75th anniversary of the Allied invasion and honored the brave soldiers who liberated Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control.

“It was a huge honor to represent FSU and the United States at the D-Day 75 Memorial Parade,” said Director of Bands Patrick Dunnigan, who also led the Chiefs to London in 1997. “When you think about all the soldiers who fought in France, what a big difference they made in the war and the thousands of young men who never returned home, it’s overwhelming.”

American soldiers wading onto Omaha Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944.

Photo from United States Coast Guard

——— ———

The excitement and palpable FSU spirit following the announcement of the trip was electric. However, an incredible amount of planning and fundraising had to be done to make it possible. Director of Athletic Bands and Marching Chiefs’ Co-Director David Plack (B.A. ’92, M.M.E. ’95, Ph.D. ’06) noted that it traditionally takes two years to organize a trip of this magnitude, but it was done in six months thanks to help from the university, alumni and friends.

A major source of funds came from FSU’s Great Give, a 36-hour online giving campaign held each March to support academic programs, scholarships and student activities at Florida State University. Tom and Dana Ando, whose son plays trombone in the band, matched the $75,000 raised by hundreds of donors bringing the total funds raised for the trip to more than $150,000. This substantially lowered the out-of-pocket cost for students, which enabled 385 members of the 420-strong Marching Chiefs to participate.

“What a lot of people don’t realize is that there was a substantial amount of non-musician donors that gave towards this trip,” said College of Music Dean Patricia Flowers (Ph.D. ’81). “To me, that means that this organization and opportunity is important to all people connected to the FSU community, not just those who were once in the band or who have children in the Chiefs.”

Proud shadow tour participants consisting of Chiefs alumni, parents and family members march behind the band.

Photo by Frank Maggio (B.A. ’98)

Additionally, more than 100 Marching Chiefs alumni, parents and family members traveled alongside current Chiefs on a “shadow” tour. The shadow tour was arranged with support from the Marching Chiefs Alumni, an organization composed of former Chiefs devoted to supporting FSU band programs through scholarships, recognition of achievement and financial support for projects. “With only 100 spots available, we had to create a waiting list,” said Curtis Falany (B.S. ’69), fundraising and scholarship committee chair of the Marching Chiefs Alumni. “We were shocked to see the level of interest, only expecting 30 to 40 Chiefs alumni to be able to make the trip.”

——— ———

During the trip, current Marching Chiefs performed several concerts and were exposed to many of France’s cultural highlights, including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum and the Palace of Versailles. The first performance took place in Paris at Trocadéro, an area just across the Seine River from the Eiffel Tower. The still jet-lagged Chiefs brought the same energy and sound they bring to every home football game, ending the performance with the “FSU Fight Song” and the “Hymn to the Garnet and Gold.”

Shortly after arriving in France, the Chiefs perform at Trocadéro in Paris.

“My most memorable moment is singing the ‘Hymn to the Garnet and Gold’ at the Eiffel Tower,” said Marching Chiefs alumna Judy Baker Pate (B.M. ’67), part of the shadow tour group. “During the hymn, we always wrap our arms around each other, sway, and sing, because it is felt in the heart, and you can’t buy that. This is a tradition that connects old and new Chiefs.”

The group was struck by the weight and gravitas of the moment when they arrived in Normandy in a fleet of chartered buses. Previously chatty and excited, the Chiefs fell more and more hushed as street signs signaled their pending arrival to Omaha Beach. The surrounding villages were covered with French and American flags, and D-Day re-enactors waved as the buses drove past. The students listened intently as the tour guides gave an abbreviated history of the events of D-Day 75 years prior and their respect was evident in the moving performances.

For their first performance in Normandy, the Marching Chiefs played the U.S. national anthem at the 29th Infantry Division Memorial, with 94-year-old Col. Arnald Gabriel in attendance. Col. Gabriel, conductor emeritus of the U.S. Air Force Band, served as a machine gunner for the U.S. Army’s 29th Infantry Division that stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. During the Chiefs’ performance, Col. Gabriel rose from his wheelchair, saluted and cried as a wreath was laid at the foot of the memorial.

Drum Majors Alex Arbeiter, Emilia Addeo and Katie Olney (B.S. ’19) looking on at the 29th Infantry Division Memorial as 94-year-old Col. Gabriel watches the wreath laying from his wheelchair.

In the parade, the Chiefs marched along Omaha Beach to “March Militaire Francaise” by French composer Camille Saint-Saens. This composition paid homage to France and the music the country has contributed to the world. Unlike in America, the audiences in France didn’t sit on the sidelines to watch the band pass. Instead, they marched alongside the group from beginning to end, taking photos, waving French and American flags, clapping and singing all through the mile-and-ahalf route.

“The parade was difficult in some moments because we were all torn between feelings of celebration and feelings of loss,” said Emilia Addeo, assistant drum major. “I’d look out onto the water and just reflect on what that day must have been like. It was surreal.”

The Chiefs, the only collegiate band invited to participate in the D-Day 75 Memorial Parade, march along Omaha Beach.

Photo by Frank Maggio (B.A. ’98)

The gravity of their surroundings continued at the American National Cemetery in Normandy at a wreath laying ceremony amongst the gravestones. To honor the intimacy and solemnity of the event, a Chiefs brass ensemble played rather than the full band, giving a moving performance of “Amazing Grace” that brought many to tears. Dunnigan was among them. “Growing up in a military family, I have witnessed and understood the sacrifices made by those who serve our country and have long appreciated our military history,” he said. “To stand there on those beaches, to walk around the American National Cemetery in Normandy, was a profound experience.”

A Chiefs brass ensemble plays patriotic marches at the American National Cemetery in Normandy.

Photo by Steve Hearn (B.S. ’79)

At their last performance in France at the Parc André Citroën, the Chiefs had the incredible opportunity to perform the national anthem under the direction of Col. Gabriel. “To have had the opportunity to meet, perform for and be conducted by this American hero was without question one of the highlights for our students,” said Plack. “Having a D-Day veteran, someone that 75 years ago to the day was right there where we were standing, who happened to also share their love of music, tied the experience together into one they will cherish for the rest of their lives.”

A group of Marching Chiefs gather around Col. Gabriel after the American hero conducted their performance of the U.S. national anthem.

Photo by Frank Maggio (B.A. ’98)

——— ———

During each performance of the trip, audience members cheered loudly. The coach drivers and tour guides sang and danced along with the music, as well. Though many of them did not speak English, they shared the universal language of music and became the Chiefs’ biggest fans. Many of the students gave their Marching Chiefs baseball caps to tour guides at the end of the trip as thank you gifts. Some took pictures with each other and became social media friends so they could keep in touch.

Mike Pate (B.S. ’68), one of the founders of the Marching Chiefs Alumni, reflected on this once in a lifetime trip in France: “The emotions I felt watching the Chiefs come down the hill on the beaches of Normandy and marching along Omaha Beach was one of the most powerful moments of my life. It was thrilling to see MY band marching in honor of all of those soldiers who gave their lives in the pursuit of freedom. I can’t imagine anything more special than that.”