The U.S. Army Drill Team performs at a Fort McNair Twilight Tattoo rehearsal.
Members of The Old Guard and the U.S. Army Band will perform the annual Twilight Tattoo at Fort McNair this year. The event includes demonstrations by the U.S. Army Drill Team, The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, elements of the U.S. Army Band and the patriotic vignette ‘‘The Flag Story.”
The Twilight Tattoo traces its origin to the Thirty Years War, which was a conflict between the Holy Roman Empire and most of Europe. Soldiers would spend their evenings in taverns, only to be recalled by the sound of a bugler. The bugle would alert someone to ‘‘tap to” the keg stoppers. Through the linguistic process of elision, the phase ‘‘tap to” evolved into ‘‘tattoo” over the years.
Downrange, the Army Band’s popular music ensemble, opens up the event with a medley spanning the entire musical spectrum. Combining talented vocals with a solid rhythm section, they go from the southern-fried blues-rock of the Black Crowes to the Latin rhythms of crooner Ricky Martin, hitting many stops in between.
‘‘It’s great to be able to get out and play with other elements of the Army Band,” said Sgt. 1st Class Lori Larson. ‘‘We don’t get to all play together very often.”
The show then goes from Downrange’s modern sensibilities to the unit that hearkens back to the very beginning of the United States. The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps were founded in 1960, but they exist as a tribute to the band of the Continental Army.
‘‘We do a lot of the same music [they played back then], but we arrange it ourselves” said Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Hirt. ‘‘There are much more complicated drum parts. It’s a challenge, but we all need to be challenged by the music we play.”
The U.S. Army Drill Team’s precise movements provide a visual component to the event. The clockwork movements will not fail to impress any Soldier or civilian watching.
The show’s piece de resistance lies in its stirring finale. ‘‘The Flag Story” is a colorful journey through the Army’s contributions to America and its way of life. Using Soldiers dressed in the garb from each of our major conflicts, it is a rousing demonstration of just how much this country owes its military.
After the six-minute journey from the American Revolution to Operation Iraqi Freedom there is a roll call of all 56 American States and territories.
The Twilight Tattoo is a fascinating glimpse of a side to the Army that news networks don’t often cover. It highlights the legacy, the dedication and most importantly the discipline of one of the finest fighting forces in the world.
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