Air Force Band legends honored at dual-room dedication Jan. 9

Published Jan. 29, 2008
By Mike Campbell
11th Wing Public Affairs

BOLLING AFB, D.C. -- In a moving and elegant tribute to the remarkable careers of legendary Air Force bandsmen Col. Arnald D. Gabriel, commander and conductor of the United States Air Force Band from 1964 to 1985, and Chief Master Sgt. Floyd E. Werle, composer and chief arranger from 1952 to 1982, two major spaces in The Band's headquarters at Bolling's Hangar 2 were renamed in their honor Jan. 9.

At the long-anticipated ceremony, hosted by Col. Kurt Neubauer, 11th Wing commander, the Band's "virtual room" became Arnald D. Gabriel Hall, and the music library was christened the Werle Library in tribute to the lasting contributions of two musical giants who devoted their long and distinguished Air Force careers to the promotion of good will through music.

Following an eloquent and often humorous introduction by Col. Dennis Layendecker, commander and music director of The Band, Chief Werle, 79, was first to address the standing-room-only gathering of about 350 in the newly dedicated Arnald D. Gabriel Hall. The chief, who wrote his first large-scale musical composition while still in high school, said he "owed very, very much," to Colonel Gabriel, who "found the band in a state of absolute despair," when he took over as its conductor and commander in 1964.

Chief Werle, recognized as "composer emeritus" in 2007, recalled writing his first concerto with Doc Severinsen, the internationally acclaimed trumpet virtuoso and former director of the NBC "Tonight Show" band, and returning soon thereafter to Ann Arbor, where he had attended the University of Michigan's music school. His former mentor, Dr. William Revelli, listened to his arrangement, and while it played on tape, only "dead silence" was heard from Dr. Revelli. When it was over, Dr. Revelli exclaimed, "Yes, Yes. It holds the attention!"

"And that's what I would like to throw out to our present staff," said the chief, whose 982 original compositions and arrangements far surpass even the world-renowned John Phillip Sousa's lifetime portfolio of 697, according to Chief Master Sgt. Elizabeth Campeau, The Band's director of marketing and outreach, who narrated the ceremony. "The best thing you can do is to try to hold the attention of the people you're writing for," he continued. "You're not always going to make that happen, but you certainly can keep them awake. With that in mind, a lot of other things fall by the wayside. But I wish all of you well and I hope all of you may one day receive the singular honor that you have paid me today. Thank you so much."

Four of Chief Werle's original compositions, "Concert Etude," which premiered at Carnegie Hall in 1964; "Concerto for Trumpet;" "Second Concerto for Trumpet;" and "We Hold These Truths" are considered among the greatest works ever written for concert band. All four works were premiered in special concerts in New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C. He led the Air Force's music production team through one of the longest running military radio broadcast missions in U.S. history -- the Air Force's "Serenade in Blue" Radio Broadcast Series, which aired from 1949 to 1980. Chief Werle would eventually serve nine Air Force chiefs of staff from 1951 to 1982, a 30-year record of consistent excellence that still stands.

Colonel Gabriel, 82, enlisted in the Army as a private in 1943 and joined the famed 29th Infantry Division as a machine gunner in April 1944. Teamed with the Army's 1st Infantry Division, the 29th Division was in the first wave to land on Normandy's Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. For his heroism from 1944 to 1946, the future internationally acclaimed conductor was awarded two Bronze Star medals, the Combat Infantryman's Badge and the French Croix de Guerre. During his career, Colonel Gabriel conducted bands and orchestras in all 50 states and 50 countries around the world, was elevated to "conductor emeritus" by The Band in 1990 and inducted into the National Band Association's Hall of Fame of Distinguished Band Conductors in 1992.

Selected as commander and conductor of the U.S. Air Force Band in 1964 by the legendary Gen. Curtis E. LeMay, Air Force chief of staff, then-Maj. Gabriel was only the third man to lead the Band in its 23-year history, retiring in 1985 after 34 years of distinguished service with an unprecedented third Legion of Merit medal for his outstanding contributions to music education throughout the United States.

Fascinated with the "correlation of yin and yang, the good and bad, night and day, tragedy and happiness, and in music, dissonance and resolution," throughout his life, the colonel said the date of this event, Jan. 9, held an exceptionally poignant meaning for him. "My family knows Jan. 9 has always been the very saddest day of my life," he explained, "because although I had seen a lot of my comrades fall, it was on that day in a foxhole (in Germany) in the predawn darkness that a German mortar shell hit our foxhole" and killed his two closest comrades instantly. "All I suffered was a concussion. So for 63 years I shed a tear, but today is a day of joy."

Colonel Gabriel recalled the final line of dialogue from "Saving Private Ryan," when Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) was standing at the grave of Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks), who had sacrificed his life for him so many years before. "And he said something that every combat veteran has thought a thousand, a million times who watched his comrades give their lives in their devotion to duty," the colonel said. "'I hope I have lived my life well.' Thank you all for being part of our lives."

Colonel Layendecker shared some personal memories of the gifted musicians who profoundly touched his life, and "contributed so greatly to the long and distinguished 65-year heritage of the Air Force Band. In all of the professional interactions I've had, both in and out of the Air Force, I can count on one hand ... the verifiable geniuses I have known," he said. "If there is anyone I have known ... who is a genius, it is Floyd Werle. The brilliance of this man - and the humility of this man -- make for a wonderful combination of an individual who is a shining example of the kind of individual that makes up our Air Force."

Returning to his earliest days with The Band as a "butterball lieutenant," the colonel described the organizational dominance of its many chiefs, and how each of them "owned" a young lieutenant. "Yet I never, in all my interactions with this great chief, this great man, this magnificent musician's musician, did I ever have a sense of being talked down to, or (treated) in any other manner than kindness and profound respect," he said.

Colonel Layendecker went on to cite Chief Werle's 32-year volunteer affiliation with Faith United Methodist Church, where he created concerts that were hugely popular with Air Force people "simply because of the way you managed it, and they loved doing it. They were successful for years because of your leadership." He spoke of the chief's "own deep spiritual life" that he himself experienced, "not because he proselytized to me or anything like that. It was by the way he acted, and that shining example, I still believe, we can all follow."

The colonel remembered the amazing Christmas arrangements created by the great British arranger and conductor Peter Knight, music that changed his life as a boy of 8, and how the Air Force purchased the rights to the "hen-scratched" sheet music from Mr. Knight's widow following his death. Chief Werle was given the inscrutable writings to "fix," and with "great pain and agony, I'm told, you did a magnificent job, as you've always done," he said

Turning to his former commander, Colonel Layendecker said his childhood perception of the Air Force consisted of the TV show "12 O'Clock High" and "Colonel Arnald D. Gabriel and the United States Air Force Band. To me that was the Air Force," he said. "We continue your legacy unabated as the United States Air Force Band, because what you did as our commander here was build that unit from the bottom up and taking it from ... what I was told by (retired Chief Master Sgt.) Harry Gleeson and others was a pretty sad state.

"I want to tell you that I wouldn't be in the Air Force without Colonel Gabriel having the courage to take a risk (on me and others)" he continued. "Sir, it was your graciousness and your patience that led us through our lieutenants' years and actually helped us amount to something more than just a hill of beans. Your mentorship, your kindness, your support in those early years proved critical to our collective success."

The 75-minute program climaxed with a stunning 15-minute video montage, produced by The Band's Master Sgt. Jebodiah J. Eaton, of still photos tracing the careers of the two music legends. The untitled production featured dozens of black-and-white snapshots - many from Colonel Gabriel's early years with the 29th Infantry Division - with vintage newspaper clippings providing narrative, and scored by an instrumental sound track of "Hymn to the Fallen," "Eagle Squadron" and "Battle Hymn of the Republic," a Chief Werle arrangement. Attesting to the broad reach of The Band's popular appeal through the decades, photos of dozens of the many hundreds of celebrities drawn to its creative power flashed by, including Jerry Lewis, Percy Faith, Lorne Green, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Sara Vaughn, Arthur Fiedler, Peter Graves and many more.

"I know that you have touched so many thousands upon thousands, millions, truly, globally, with your writing, your performing, your conducting, your leadership in all ranges across our Air Force both here and abroad," Colonel Layendecker said. "You had both been engaged in that sometimes hopeless fight to help young people across America overcome the constant din of commercial music that they seem so drawn to. And you give us a life of hope still, if there is nothing other than exposure to truly great music making, and truly great music. Thank you for your strategic efforts in that regard, for the welfare of our nation, because, indeed, a nation without music is not to be trusted. Thank you for you service. We congratulate you, I congratulate you on behalf of all the members of the United States Air Force Band, and if I may be so bold, on behalf of all these collective folks here today. God bless you."

For more information on the U.S. Air Force Band, please visit http://www.usafband.af.mil.

Chief Master Sgt. Joe Tersero and retired Chief Master Sgt. Harry Gleeson of the U.S. Air Force Band contributed to this story.