"Air Assault School has always really interested me, but I never thought I'd really get to go."

Staff Sgt. William J. Parks, a 29-year old fife instrumentalist assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) Fife and Drum Corps (FDC) was the first in the unit's recent history to graduate from Air Assault School at Fort Benning, Ga., Jan. 16.

"Air Assault school has altered my outlook as a Soldier in a ceremonial unit," said Parks. "The things I saw and experienced made me reassess how I view and enforce standards and training."

"I saw him really trying to prepare for the school," said Master Sgt. Russell Smith, Corps sergeant. "I think it was difficult because not a lot of Soldiers here knew very much about the school. Overall, he did a good job getting ready for it."

Established on Feb. 23, 1960, FDC is one of the Army's premier musical organizations. In support of the president, the Corps performs at all armed forces arrival ceremonies for visiting dignitaries and heads of state at the White House, and has participated in every Presidential Inaugural Parade since President John F. Kennedy's in 1961.

"We [FDC] don't really get to see the Army outside of this base; unless we do a performance on another installation," said Parks. "Because we don't have the opportunity to deploy, one of the reasons I wanted to go to Air Assault School, was to observe the line unit Soldiers, whom I may never get to meet or interact with otherwise."

"Staff Sgt. Parks does a great job at telling the Army story with all of the outreach engagements that we do," said Smith. "I think his attending Air Assault School will certainly enhance his ability to do that and make him more of a well-rounded Soldier."

The Air Assault School was a 12-day course that prepared the Soldiers for air mobile operations. During the course, students trained and were evaluated on combat assault, sling loads, rappelling, physical fitness, and various other critical skills.

"Our organization is extremely busy during the spring through fall months with ceremonial support across the Nation, which leaves a small window of opportunity for our Soldiers to go to such training," said Smith. "But we were happy Staff Sgt. Parks was able to attend and encourage other Soldiers from FDC to go as well."

As an official representative of the U.S. Army, the Corps averages approximately 500 performances annually. FDC has a strong educational outreach program, which enables them to interact with audiences beyond the normal scope of their performances and allows them to highlight the historical significance of the Army Soldier musician.

"Staff Sgt. Parks is a great representative for our organization," said Smith. "I think it's good that he was able to go and lay the foundation for others in our unit."

"I think the skills that I learned during this course are great to have and will be beneficial in any job or situation," said Parks. "I may be a musician, but I am a Soldier first."

During the September 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon, FDC performed additional duties from acting as liaisons to U.S. Army Military District of Washington's Emergency Operations Center, provided additional security on Fort Myer (installation next to the Pentagon) and helped to establish the command and control system at the Pentagon crash site. Most notably, some Soldiers from FDC were part of the workforce to enter the Pentagon to remove the remains of those killed in the attack.

"I definitely recommend Air Assault School to my peers here in the Corps," said Parks. "Not only was it a great experience, but it changed my outlook of the Army and our mission as a whole."

Related Links:

Learn more about the U.S. Army Military District of Washington

3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) Fife and Drum Corps