News>USAF Honor Guard, Band represent Airmen at Air Force Week
Photos
The United States Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team competes during the Joint Service Drill Exhibition on April 14 at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. Drill teams from all four branches of the American armed services competed at the event. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Perry Aston)
The U.S. Air Force Honor Guard and U.S. Air Force Band perform a pass and review on Aug. 10, 2012, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. for the Air Force Chief of Staff transition ceremony. During the ceremony, Gen. Norton Schwartz retired from active duty and passed on the duty of Air Force Chief of Staff to Gen. Mark A. Welsh III. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Perry Aston)
The U.S. Air Force Honor Guard and U.S. Air Force Band perform a pass and review on Aug. 10, 2012, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. for the Air Force Chief of Staff transition ceremony. During the ceremony, Gen. Norton Schwartz retired from active duty and passed on the duty of Air Force Chief of Staff to Gen. Mark A. Welsh III. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Perry Aston)
The Air Force Band performed during the Air Force Week New York City proclamation ceremony Aug. 24, 2010, on the flight deck of the USS Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. The USAF Band will be performing in New York City, N.Y., this year as well. The full schedule of the Air Force Week events can be found at the Air Force Week website. (U.S. Air Force photo/Lance Cheung)
by Senior Airman Tabitha N. Haynes
Air Force District of Washington Public Affairs
8/19/2012 - Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AFNS) -- The premier U.S. Air Force ceremonial units, the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard and U.S. Air Force Band, are returning to New York City as part of Air Force Week 2012 with several performances and concerts scheduled for August 18-22.
Two of the USAF Band's ensembles - the rock band, Max Impact, and The Ceremonial Brass - along with the USAF Honor Guard's Drill Team will perform at select locations throughout the city showcasing America's Airmen and their amazing capabilities to many Americans who do not have day-to-day contact with the Air Force.
One of the band members and a drill team member are native New Yorkers and will be representing Airmen serving around the world as well as their hometown.
"Having been born and raised in Bronx, N.Y. - just a few blocks from Yankee Stadium - I can't begin to express how thrilled and honored I am to perform with the Air Force Band and represent my fellow Airmen in my hometown," said Chief Master Sgt. Edward J. Teleky. "On top of all of that, getting to play in Yankee Stadium is truly a childhood dream come true."
Teleky is the drum major with the USAF Band's Ceremonial Brass and began his Air Force career in 1987 after graduating from the Juilliard School of Music, N.Y. He is only the fifth drum major in the band's 70-year history.
The Ceremonial Brass is a 38-member organization consisting of world-class brass players, percussionists and a drum major. This elite group is responsible for over 1,000 ceremonial performances each year.
Another native of N.Y., performing this week is the flight chief for the USAF Drill Team, Master Sgt. Whitfield Jack.
"Being a native of New York City and performing in front of the home crowd is going to be a blast," said Jack. "I have been blessed with leading the sharpest young men the Air Force has to offer and to do that with my friends and family in attendance is truly something I never could have imagined."
Prior to serving as a ceremonial guardsman, Jack was a military training instructor at (then) Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Jack is originally from Brooklyn, N.Y.
Drill team members represent the best of each of the Honor Guard's individual ceremonial flights. All members have risen to the challenge and developed the discipline required to be a member of this elite performance unit.
Max Impact is the premier rock band of the United States Air Force. Commissioned in 2005, the band's seven members perform exciting original music, rock, country, patriotic favorites as well as classic and current pop hits. In addition to entertaining military and civilian audiences in the United States, Max Impact has thrilled troops with their hard-rocking energy and amazing musical versatility at forward deployed locations including Iraq and Afghanistan.
Air Force Week is a program endorsed by the chief of staff of the Air Force. It provides the opportunity to show and tell civic leaders and the general American public what the Air Force does, while demonstrating its gratitude to the communities which support the Air Force by engaging in events that help give back to the community.
For up-to-date event information on Air Force Week, check out the Air Force Week website, www.airforceweek.af.mil, visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AirForceNYC or follow Air Force Week @AirForceNYC and #AFWeek on Twitter.
The USAF Drill Team showcases drill performances at public and military venues to recruit, retain and inspire Airmen. The team performs drill movements with fully-functional M-1 rifles in intricate, constantly changing formations. The unit also supports the Air Force Recruiting Service as the official Ambassadors in Blue. The team is comprised of more than 30 ceremonial guardsmen competitively selected for the team.
Max Impact is the premier rock band of the United States Air Force. Commissioned in 2005, the band's seven members perform exciting original music, rock, country, and patriotic favorites, as well as classic and current pop hits. In addition to entertaining military and civilian audiences in the United States, Max Impact has thrilled troops with their hard-rocking energy and amazing musical versatility at forward deployed locations including Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Ceremonial Brass provides the finest musical support for state arrivals at the White House, full honor arrivals for foreign dignitaries at the Pentagon, retirements, changes of command, awards ceremonies, patriotic programs and funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. The origins of The Ceremonial Brass trace back to 1964 when The United States Air Force Headquarters Command Band was incorporated into the USAF Band as a ceremonial unit. It became an all brass and percussion ensemble in 1985 and was renamed "The Ceremonial Brass." Since those early years, it has evolved into a 38-member organization consisting of world-class brass players, percussionists and a drum major.
