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About PACAF Band
The only tri-located Air Force Band, the United States Air Force Band of the Pacific serves Pacific Air Forces' ceremonial, airmen morale, and commanders outreach needs and objectives throughout an area of responsibility which spans the Pacific Ocean from the Arctic Circle to Australia, and from the Polynesian Islands to the east coast of India, to include all of Southeast Asia.
The USAF Band of the Pacific-Alaska is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska. Yokota Air Base is home to the USAF Band of the Pacific-Asia and the USAF Band of the Pacific-Hawaii resides at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Honolulu, Hawaii.
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The Band of the Pacific is the oldest military unit continuously on active duty in Alaska. It provides popular, ceremonial, and patriotic music in support of military and civic activities in the states of Alaska and Hawaii, throughout Western Canada and throughout the Pacific region - to include Korea and Japan. The band also performs concerts and conducts musical workshops at local schools in support of education and recruiting efforts.
How the Band Was Started
The Air Force's involvement in Alaska's music began in the summer of 1941, when a group of Army Air Force members formed an unofficial orchestra as a hobby. One of this group's first performances was in September 1941 when the men furnished music for the first annual Matanuska Valley Fair held in Palmer, Alaska. The band also played for three community dances that year in Palmer in addition to an assortment of dances and benefit balls in Anchorage.
The Official History Spans a Period of Over Five Decades
Originally designated the 452nd Army Air Forces Band on April 15, 1943, the unit was activated ten days later at Wright-Patterson Field in Dayton, Ohio. After that initial duty the band was re-designated the 752nd U.S. Army Band and then the 752nd Army Air Force Band before being inactivated at Wright-Patterson on November 30, 1944.
A Separate Branch of Service
The Air Force became a separate branch of service on September 17, 1947. The band was re-designated the 752nd Air Force Band and was activated four months later on December 15, 1947 at Fort Richardson, Alaska. The unit was part of a realignment of Alaskan military forces under the first unified command of Department of Defense, the Alaskan Command. Before that date all military music in Alaska was provided by three U.S. Army bands, one being the 494th. Its musicians were given the opportunity of finishing their Alaskan assignments either as members of the Air Force or as Army personnel on detached duty assigned to the new Air Force Band.
Alaskan Air Command
With the realignment of Alaskan military bands under the control of the Air Force, two other Alaskan Air Command bands were established; one in Fairbanks and the other at Adak Island. The 753rd Air Force Band at Ladd AFB was deactivated on July 1, 1949 and on July 1, 1959, the 754th Air Force Band at Davis AFB on Adak Island was deactivated. The Alaskan Air Command was re-designated as 11th Air Force effective August 9, 1990, and the band was renamed the Air Force Band of Alaska. Following the 1991 restructuring of the Air Force band career field, the Air Force Band of Alaska became the Air Force Band of the Pacific, and on August 1, 1994, the name was changed to Band of the Pacific. It is a 53 piece band with 30 personnel stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 11 personnel stationed at Yokota, Japan, and 12 personnel stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam AFB, Hawaii.
Band Performance Highlights
The band was chosen to play in President Kennedy's Inauguration Parade, President Nixon's two visits while traveling to China, President Reagan's visit while enroute to China, President Bush's visit enroute to Japan, both of President Clinton's visits to Alaska, and for President Obama's visit enroute to Asia. The band performed for the Emperor of Japan during his 1971 visit to Alaska, and for Pope John Paul II when he visited Anchorage in 1981. The band's musicians were also chosen by Bob Hope to provide backup music for his USO Entertainment Troupe during its tours of Eielson AFB and Fort Wainwright during the Vietnam War.
The Only Air Force Musical Unit in Alaska
The band has earned ten Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards through its half century of musical and military history.
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Our mission is to support the global Air Force mission in war and peace by fostering our national heritage and provide professional musical products and services for our official military, recruiting, and community relations events. |
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The US Air Force Band of the Pacific provides a wide range of musical support for official Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve unit military functions. Examples include: military ceremonies, base open houses, dinings in/out, unit morale events, military recognition events, and military honors. These events promote esprit de corps, troop morale and quality of life initiatives. For more information, please email our Director of Operations, or call 907-552-7662. |
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The United States Air Force Band of the Pacific may perform for public and civic events if the event is of general interest or benefit to a local, state or national community. However, the Band of the Pacific may not participate in events that are commercially sponsored; are designed to increase business traffic or raise charitable donations; or are associated with a religious or ideological movement, such as a Christmas parade, beauty pageant or political gathering. With the exception of concert tour performances, requestors may be required to fund the PACAF Band's travel, lodging and per diem expenses for performances outside of the Anchorage, Alaska, area.
The PACAF Band may perform for a wide variety of public and civic events. However, these performances generally fall into one of two categories.
Patriotic openers, approximately 15 to 20 minutes in length, serve to initiate the formal portion of a military, civic or governmental event. In this setting, the band may perform a program of military and patriotic selections prior to the formal presentation of the Colors. The musical program must include the national anthem unless the ceremony includes a recital of the Pledge of Allegiance. During patriotic openers, the band may not provide music for entertainment, such as dancing music, cocktail and dinner music or concert and show music.
Public concerts in a traditional concert hall, outdoor venue or parade must be free and open to the public. However, the PACAF Band may perform at fairs, exhibitions and similar events with admission fees if the performance is incidental to the primary event, and no additional fee is charged to hear the PACAF Band play.
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PACAF Band History 