B*N*S*N2

34th Infantry band rocks USS Decatur

By Army Spc. Darryl L. Montgomery
Multinational Division South Public Affairs

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq, (9/2/09) -- For what many believe to be the first time in history, an Army band performed on a Navy destroyer in the Persian Gulf last week.

The Minnesota Army National Guard's 34th Infantry Division band, Center Mass, concluded its week-long tour of the Gulf after playing five shows in four locations. The band played at Umm Qasr, an oil terminal in Basra, on the USS Decatur and at Camp Bucca before returning here Aug. 30.

The highlight of the trip for many of the band members was performing Aug. 26 for the sailors stationed aboard the USS Decatur, which is providing security around Basra oil terminal in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"That was the best thing this week, playing on the Decatur," said Sgt. Ryan Lodgaard, Center Mass drummer and a St. Paul, Minn., resident. "I never thought in a million years I would play on a Navy destroyer for the Army. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and one I won't soon forget."...(source)