More About “Tops In Blue”
TAH has recently covered the complaints of the USAF version of “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show”, Tops in Blue. Well, it turns out that some former Tops In Blue performers have come “on-line” in an Air Force Times article to defend the program.
I’m not going to re-hash either the original complaints, the discussion thereof, or the latest Air Force Times article here. I’m Just providing a follow-up, in case any of our readers are interested.
If you’re interested, here’s the AF Times article. Read it for yourself.
Category: Air Force
I do not begrudge them their assignment or duties entertaining anymore than I do the USMC band or Drum and Bugle Corp. The US Army Band, The USAF Band, the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corp, etc… etc…
I would caution them to not try and make their jobs look too mission essential. Yes, they do provide morale for troops deployed and in their non military venues provide good PR for the Military. I just think perhaps they need to tone down the defense a little.
I am a bit of a band geek, but I was not in the Military. I have always enjoyed watching the Military Bands/Orchestras/Choruses.
Just want to add to that, that regardless of how much I enjoyed them. If it was a choice between a piece of equipment or personnel cuts and them performing, they lose.
And the Army goes rolling along…..
Marines don’t even like the Marine Band.
Trade in that tuba for a rifle and go fucking patrol or stand a post. There are always bodies needed for that.
Correction to the last paragraph, I was not a musician in the Military, but obviously I was in the Military. Fingers out pace my head, more and more often.
“they aren’t ordered to come. If they are [ordered], their commanders are wrong, and I will tell commanders they are wrong to tell people to go to the show. But I never heard that once.”
Then suddenly…
“When I was in basic, I was still lost,” Crutcher said. “I didn’t think I could handle it. I needed some sign. Then one day, they made me go to ‘mandatory fun’ — that was a 2006 Tops in Blue show. This rejuvenated me and made me go, ‘OK, maybe I can do this.’ ”
And then….
“And Boren said Tops in Blue tries to comfort wounded warriors at hospitals such as Landstuhl in Germany, and pay their respects to fallen troops.”
Yeah…..
If I was wounded in a hospital and some fucking mega pogs rolled up to sing to me I’d tell them to grab a fucking rifle and really help out.
So damn ridiculous.
“If I was wounded in a hospital and some fucking mega pogs rolled up to sing to me I’d tell them to grab a fucking rifle and really help out.”
My feelings exactly. If the Air Force wants to do this well, I guess they will. But I agree, were I wounded in the hospital and they showed up, my first thoughts would be, “do any of you know how to take a catheter out? Can any of you lend a hand with the bed pan? Would any of you gals like to help with the catheter…you have to hold me a LOT and gently before you take it out. 😀 ? Lastly, would one of you flip my Led Zeplin tape over in the cassette player on your way out, I can’t reach it from here? 😀
The name “Tops in Blue” takes on a who;e different context in a post-DADT air force.
Hold on, who am I kidding…it has the same context as always.
“I don’t use the bowling alley, [or] the golf course, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value,” Boren said. “That doesn’t mean we need to get rid of it. It just means I don’t use it.””
They are going to cut the U2 and The Warthog because of budget constraints but can’t do without bowling alleys and golf courses. Who has their heads up their asses?
Oh Gawd, not these fuckholes again. Why can’t they just die in a really bad bus accident.
I may just have a really sick sense of humor, but that made me laugh out loud!!!
I got a nice chuckle from “These are active-duty airmen coming to shows; they aren’t ordered to come”. I’m calling BS on that one. As a MOS musician, I performed countless concerts and shows where soldiers were ordered to come. Any time the venue was packed, we automatically knew why so many soldiers were there. There is a place for military bands, but maybe not these kind of groups.