LYNN — Wayne Hoey was one of about three dozen former members of the 18th Army Band to march into Fort Devens to celebrate the group’s 100th birthday.
The Lynn native and other U.S. Army veterans gathered at the home of the band to play together in a reunion concert and recognize the band’s centennial anniversary last weekend.
“The highlight for me was to see a few former band members I haven’t seen or talked with in over 40 years,” said Hoey. “I saw a sparkle in the eyes and a smile on their faces as we played together one last time. I hope it won’t be another 40 years before we get together again.”
The 18th Army band formed in June 1917 during the first World War at Camp Robinson in Wisconsin. The unit was designated as Band Headquarters Company 17th Field Artillery. As part of the Second Division, band members saw combat during World War I in France. The band was relocated several times after the war ended, eventually settling at Fort Devens in Ayer and Shirley in 1948.
Hoey joined the Army after graduating from Lynn English High School in 1972.
“I had no idea what I wanted to do,” said Hoey. “The ongoing war in Vietnam was unpopular, the oil embargo impacted every American, and for me, college wasn’t at the top of my priority list.”
Hoey began playing the saxophone while attending Cobbett Jr. High School, then joined his high school band. A friend of Hoey’s in the band was drafted, sparking the idea that he too should join the military.
His father, Walter, who he later learned lost a brother in World War II, did not support his son’s plan to join the Army after graduation. Hoey said he begged his mother, who eventually signed papers to allow him to enlist before turning 18.
He first attended basic training at Fort Dix in New Jersey, then the Armed Forces School of Music at Little Creek Amphibious Base in Norfolk, Va. His professional music career started with the 18th Army Band, which he was a part of from 1974 to 1977, he said.
As he traveled with the Army over a span of 20 years, he joined other bands, including the 8th U.S. Army Band and the 2nd Division Band in Korea.
“When you serve overseas and you don’t have your family around you, the people you serve with become your family,” he said.
Today he’s a music teacher at Jenkins Middle School in Colorado Springs, where he teaches his students about the history behind each song before they learn to play it.
“The school (district) doesn’t teach kids about wars until 11th grade,” Hoey said. “I teach history through music. Before we play the first note, I have them research the piece. They look up who influenced (the artist) and what was going on in history at that time.”
Similarly, Hoey said the music chosen for the reunion concert deliberately told the stories of several wars and conflicts, including “Il Silenzio,” “The Star Spangled Banner,” “Victory at Sea,” and “God Bless the USA.”
“It was musical history,” Hoey said.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.
