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Tops in Blue (TIB) - WTF?


Steve Davies

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Amen. Hell, even the Sacramento Kings dancers were fantastic.

IMG_0190.jpg

The soldier sitting on the Jersey barrier looks a wee bit jealous...

Edited by JarheadBoom
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The soldier sitting on the Jersey barrier looks a wee bit jealous...

The chick or the dude? DADT

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  • 1 month later...

Will the House drum up support to cut spending on military bands?

Although most services also have bands that are stationed overseas, the Washington-based bands often go abroad. For example, the Air Force Band went to Japan last summer even though there already is a unit of the USAF Band of the Pacific stationed in Japan.

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Will the House drum up support to cut spending on military bands?

Although most services also have bands that are stationed overseas, the Washington-based bands often go abroad. For example, the Air Force Band went to Japan last summer even though there already is a unit of the USAF Band of the Pacific stationed in Japan.

Amendment passed, reducing funding for bands from something like 320 million to 200 million. This 200 million number is what was in the Defense authorization act, but the funding was increased in committee. So, in the end it is reduced.

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Excerpt from my newspaper today. This guy Frelinghuysen sounds like a DB. Article by Steve Tetreault.

McCollum also argued for cuts in funding for military bands. She proposed to reduce spending from $324.8 million to $200 million for what she counted as 154 performing bands and more than 5,000 full-time musicians.

"We all enjoy listening to military bands and cherish the traditions of military music," McCollum said. "But at a time of fiscal crisis, $200 million must be enough for ceremonial music, concerts, choir performance, and country music jam sessions."

Rep Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-NJ, defended the spending, saying musicians are trained as security guards as their "go to war mission."

"The Department of Defense strongly believes that military bands are vital to recruiting, retaining, and community relations, and that they provide patriotic, inspirational music to instill in soldiers, sailors and airmen the will to fight and win, and foster the support of our citizens and promote national interests," Frelinghuysen said.

The House agreed to the McCollum amendment, 226-201.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Check out this comment from the most recent af.mil propaganda article.

@ tony and drinking8arade_kid - you two have NO idea what these people go through... If you actually did your homework before you made this comment that TIB doesn't use ANY funds from the Air Force... Tops In Blue is a seperate entity as far as money... AND SECOND OF ALL... you both fail to realize how much they sacrifice to even do this program... and as far as the instruments and costumes... for the most part they re-use older costumes because they LACK MONEY. Tops In Blue is not fake hype.. they may not be out on the front line shooting people but they are raising morale. You only see one side of their story. you don't see the behind the scenes struggles that they have each and every day.... I am a VERY PROUD TIB Prior. During my tour with TIB we changed lives.... we lifted spirits and showed our brothers and sisters in arms that they are not forgotten... everyone is entitled to their opinion. however before you kill a great thing, read more into their story.. hang out with them...
:darkcloud::bash:

And the article here.

Edited by Gravedigger
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I don't even want to know what you typed in Google to find that picture...

I don't really recall. I'm sure it was something along the lines of "raising morale, lifting spirits, brothers and sisters in arms, trained killers, front line warriors......"

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I don't really recall. I'm sure it was something along the lines of "raising morale, lifting spirits, brothers and sisters in arms, trained killers, front line warriors......"

Or "San Francisco Giants Championship Parade." I thought the image looked a little familiar.

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As long as email among leadership like the one below continue, TIB will not go away easily....

From: ### Col USAF AFCENT 386 AEW/CC

Sent: Monday, July 25, 2011 4:34 PM

To: Jones, Darrell D Lt Gen MIL AF/A1

Sir, BLUF: The Marauders at Ali Al Salem had the pleasure of enjoying Tops and Blue last week...they were simply electric. Extremely professional, highly energized and thoroughly entertaining. My thanks to you and the team.

DISCUSSION: For two brief moments (during the two shows), your team was able to catapult my entire base back to America without a care in the world. I can’t begin to thank you enough for that.It seemed as soon as Mr. ### and the team landed, they began asking what more they could. They went from one show to two, dropped by all our satellite units and Dinning Facilities and asked if we were busy during the Christmas Holidays (to which I promptly invited them back). Not only that, but when the female costumes were misplaced during their trip to us, they performed flawlessly in their ABUs. In fact, they did so well I thought it was actually planned. I’ve seen many Tops and Blue shows, but watching them perform in ABUs while in a combat zone was extremely powerful and moving. I recommend you look into doing that more often. Regardless, I just wanted to let you know how much of an impact your Airmen made here. I’d take any one of them to combat with me. Please pass them our thanks.

v/r Col XXXX, Colonel, USAFCommander, 386th Air Expeditionary

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Please tell me that letter is a joke. At best, it would appear spell check hasn't made it to Ali Al Salem. And someone should inform the CC that it is "Tops IN Blue". Not "Tops AND Blue". In the desparate hope that it was a joke, I actually went to the 386AEW website http://www.386aew.afcent.af.mil/. Sure enough, there is a video right there on the front page about the Tops in and Blue concert. It included several shots of the "electrified" crowd. Except the theater was half full, and the crowd was sitting (but apparently that is "the entire base"). Looks like they had band members trying to gin up some enthusiasm in the crowd by showing them how move their arms.

I'm sure the TIB performers are talented. But someone explain to me how it makes sense to spend money on them to play to half full theaters of tired and bored looking airmen who would probably much rather be watching Jersey Shore reruns for free on a big screen.

Edited by Rokke
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The only reason there were even that many people in the auditorium was because ALL other "Services" functions on base were probably closed during the performance, as they did a few summers ago.... to include the chow hall and the gym.

Unfuckingbelievable.

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That dude made O6. And got a Wing.

...

Some serious cock sucking in that letter. That tactic is typically used when skill is absent.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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