The 323rd Army Band "Fort Sam's Own" is a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

military band 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 tit ...

currently based at

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

Joint Base San Antonio Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) is a United States military facility located in San Antonio, Texas, USA. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 502d Air Base Wing, Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The win ...

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. It is attached to

United States Army North The United States Army North (ARNORTH) is a formation of the United States Army. An Army Service Component Command (ASCC) subordinate to United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM), ARNORTH is the joint force land component of NORTHCOM.

of which it is the primary ensemble. It is designed to be a command-level support asset and consists of 62 personnel. It is one of two bands based at JBSA (the other being the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

Band of the West) and is one of many bands that have existed since their inception in the city in 1893.

History

It was activated in 1942 at

Carlisle Barracks Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The site of the U.S. Army War College, it is the nation's second-oldest active military base. The first structures were built in 1757, during the French and In ...

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

, which is now the site of the

U.S. Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military officer ...

. At its founding, it was originally known as the Medical Field Service School Band until 1944 when it was designated the 323rd Army Service Forces Band. Two years later, the took part in a large move along two

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

s to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

where it founded and was stationed at Fort Sam Houston, which the army designated as the principal military medical training facility, earning it the nickname of the "Home of Army Medicine".VisitMil-163
In 1975, the band was redesignated as the 5th Army Band and on 22 July 2004, was renamed to the

United States Army Medical Command The U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) is a direct reporting unit of the U.S. Army that formerly provided command and control of the Army's fixed-facility medical, dental, and veterinary treatment facilities, providing preventive care, medical res ...

Band (MEDCOM Band). Its final performance as the Medical Command Band took place on 13 October 2011 at San Antonio's Blesse Auditorium, before being officially reorganized as "Fort Sam's Own" 6 days later. In the summer of 2016, the

United States Department of the Army The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the United States Department of Defense, Department of Defense of the U.S. The Department of the Army is the Federal government of the United States ...

listed Fort Sam's Band as one of the bands that will be dissolved due to a reorganization of army bands in the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. In April 2018, Lieutenant General Jeffrey Buchanan of U.S. Army North, said that the order to dissolve the band was reversed by the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

after a rise in dissenting voices opposed to the decision. By mid-May, the band was confirmed to have been removed from the list of bands being dissolved and continued its activities with the previous orders to dissolve it still in effect, which as a result, caused the personnel count to go down to 16.

Activities and performances

In addition to its military duties at JBSA, the band moreover performs in the local community and the surrounding area. The band also aides band programs annually at schools in the San Antonio area including the

East Central Independent School District East Central Independent School District is a public school district located in (as its name suggests) the eastern central portion of Bexar County, Texas (USA). The district includes parts of San Antonio and China Grove. In 2009, the school di ...

and the

San Antonio Independent School District San Antonio Independent School District is a school district based in San Antonio, Texas, United States. San Antonio ISD ranks is the 13th largest of Texas' 1,057 school districts. The District encompasses 79 square miles with a total population ...

. In 2017, the band opened the annual Houston Thanksgiving Day Parade. Members of the then-MEDCOM Band were the center of a 2013 study which concluded that musicians have a high rate of

Musculoskeletal disorder Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are injuries or pain in the human musculoskeletal system, including the joints, ligaments, muscles, nerves, tendons, and structures that support limbs, neck and back. MSDs can arise from a sudden exertion (e.g., li ...

s, which is an injury to the

human musculoskeletal system The human musculoskeletal system (also known as the human locomotor system, and previously the activity system) is an organ system that gives humans the ability to move using their muscular and skeletal systems. The musculoskeletal system provid ...

Supporting ensembles

There are several supporting ensembles that add to the musical style of the band: *Ceremonial Band *

Marching Band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...

*Concert Band *“Intrepid Winds” Woodwind Quintet *“Biohazard Brass Band” (New Orleans-style) *"After 5"

Jazz Combo A jazz band (jazz ensemble or jazz combo) is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of a rhythm section and a ho ...

Army band to host free holiday concert
/ref> *“35 to Nowhere”

Rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

*"Mission Brass Quintet”

External links

323D Army Band "Ft. Sam's Own" Holiday Concert 2013"Royals" covered by soldiers from The 323d Army Band - "Fort Sam's Own"The Sound of Music Medley - 323d Army Band323d Army Band - Salvation is Created
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

References

{{United States military bands, state=collapsed Bands of the United States Army Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations established in 2011 San Antonio

History

Activities and performances

Supporting ensembles

See also

External links

References