34th Army Band sends group to Wisconsin

The 34th Army Band from Fairfield, under command of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kent Wesselink, recently sent an 11-soldier team to Fort McCoy, Wis.

The team?s task at Fort McCoy was to support the soldiers of the 67th Troop Command, who were in the middle of their annual 14-day ?Wisconsin Rattler? training exercise. The Fairfield team performed two hours of modern music.

The team traveled on a Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter from the Fairfield Municipal Airport and landed at the 67th Troop Command?s Forward Operating Base. Traveling by air turns the seven-hour convoy drive into a 1.5 hour flight and is the most often used mode of travel for MPTs deployed overseas. The 34th Army Band performs year-round missions in a variety of environments. With the successful completion of the ?Wisconsin Rattler? mission, they have gained valuable experience in traveling, training and performing in a tactical environment.

The soldiers sent, including the commander, are one of several musical performance teams the unit has at its disposal. Nicknamed ?Trenchfoot,? the team performs modern pop music by artists such as Adele, Jason Aldean, The Beatles, AC/DC, Sugarland, Green Day and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Members of the band include: Wesselink, Staff Sgt. Bill Braught, Staff Sgt. Scott Schaub, Sgt. Chris Foster, Sgt. Adam Petersen, Sgt. Bill Scheidecker, Spc. Holly Buffington, Spc. Jordan Elliff, Spc. David Krcil, Spc. Alex Rebling and Spc. Valerie Scheidecker.

The mission of the 34th Army Band is to provide music throughout the full spectrum of military operations and instill in the soldiers the will to fight and win. The mission also is to foster the support of U.S. citizens and promote national interests at home and abroad. Every performance is tailored to entertain and inspire, as well as honor fighting men and women in all services and veterans.

The 34th Army Band will be performing at the 2011 Iowa State Fair in the Veteran?s Parade and on stages throughout the fairgrounds Aug. 13 and Aug. 15. For information, contact the 34th Army Band headquarters at 472-3813.