Not every Soldier is a musician, but every musician serving in the U.S. Army is a Soldier first.
Just ask Staff Sgt. William J. Parks, a 29-year-old fife instrumentalist assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)'s Fife and Drum Corps. Parks became the Corps' first musician in recent years to graduate from the U.S. Army's rigorous Air Assault School at Fort Benning, Georgia.
"Air Assault School has always really interested me, but I never thought I'd really get to go," said Parks, who graduated from the 12-day course Jan. 16. "Air Assault School has altered my outlook as a Soldier in a ceremonial unit; the things I saw and experienced made me reassess how I view and enforce standards and training."
The Air Assault School prepares Soldiers for air mobile operations, including aircraft orientation and safety, aerial medical evacuation procedures, combat assault and hand and arm signals. During the course, students train and are evaluated on combat assault maneuvers, preparing sling loads and myriad physical fitness and academic tests, including a 12-mile march and how to rappel from an aircraft.
In other words, the course provided no shortage of physically and mentally-demanding lessons for Parks, a native of Williamsburg, Virginia. He spent weeks preparing, conducting consistent physical training sessions.
"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."
Students march, jog, crawl, climb and rappel a total of 24 miles throughout the course. The course requires students to be able to complete physically-demanding events, recover within a day or two, and then complete another course challenge, according to Capt. Christopher M. Pegg, battalion training officer for the Army National Guard Training Center at Fort Benning.
Still, about 90 percent of those who attend the course graduate.
"Soldiers who show up in good cardiovascular shape are set up for success from the start," said Pegg in an email response to questions. "Every physical event requires the Soldier to be able to manipulate their own body weight over a prescribed distance; Soldiers who are strong runners and road marchers typically do well."
The opportunity for a fifer to attend the course was unique because of the Corps' busy performance schedule during the spring through fall seasons, when the musicians are providing ceremonial support across the United States, according to Smith. As an official representative of the U.S. Army, the Corps averages approximately 500 performances annually.
For Parks, the course provided a chance to see and experience life at another U.S. Army installation, and interact with Soldiers from a variety of military occupational specialties.
"We don't really get to see the Army outside of this base [Joint Base Myer-Henderson-Hall]; 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."
Established on Feb. 23, 1960, the Fife and Drum Corps 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 U.S. presidential inaugural parade since President John F. Kennedy's in 1961.
During the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon, Corps Soldiers performed additional duties, ranging from serving as liaisons to U.S. Army Military District of Washington's Emergency Operations Center, to providing additional security on Fort Myer and helping to establish command and control at the Pentagon attack 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.
The skills learned at the Air Assault School may be relevant in a life-saving or emergency situation, on or off the battlefield, according to Parks.
"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."
Social Sharing