Hellcats Commission a New Bugle

by Sgt. 1st Class Richard F. Storey

The traditional military bugle occupies a special place in the heart of the American soldier. Bugles roused generations of bleary-eyed recruits as they steeled themselves for each grueling day. A bugle sounded a final tribute to those felled in battle. Through the years, many bugle calls transcended their military origins and entered our national musical lexicon. Others disappeared into obscurity.

Before modern communication systems, bugles served as important signaling devices, keeping order and relaying messages. In the old Army, a pre-set series of bugle calls neatly arranged the duty day. Reveille opened the new day. First Call and Assembly mustered the troops for morning formations and roll. Mess Call announced breakfast. As the day progressed the various bugle calls kept a well-run Army camp informed. Retreat and To the Color brought the flag down. Tattoo and Taps drew the duty day to a close and ordered lights out. In addition to the daily calls, soldiers learned the meaning of some special calls. On Sunday, Church Call gathered the faithful to devotions. A call all soldiers eagerly anticipated was Pay Call. Likewise, the cavalry possessed a repertoire of calls necessary for mounted troops.

At West Point, the bugle joined the fife and drum as an integral part of the field music group. Cadets needed to learn all essential battle and marching signals and the field musicians served as part of that training. Even today, the bugles and drums of the Hellcats summon the cadets to breakfast early each morning and march them through their drills.

Recently, it became necessary to replace the buglers aging instruments. Since the requirements at the academy specified a single-valve horn pitched in B-flat, careful planning was needed.

According to bugle section leader Sgt. 1st Class LeeAnne Newton, finding a proper replacement instrument received priority attention. "We wanted to choose the horns wisely, since we would live with them for a long time," Newton observed. "The old horns lasted over twenty-five years. Out of the original thirty-six bugles, maybe half a dozen played decently. That horn was originally intended to be pitched in G, and had inherent intonation problems. Perhaps the worst note on the horn, written F, (concert E-flat) sounded so out of tune it was comical. While performing with the Concert Band, we deliberately left those notes out, lest the audience cringe! Two things we did like about the old horns, however, were their tone color and their ability to project well at the flagpole.

"We started our research by contacting several brass instrument manufacturers," Newton explained. "We told them the Hellcats needed a single-valve bugle, pitched in B-flat, with good tonal and projection qualities, that could play in tune. We received some prototypes and our ‘test firings’ attracted quite a bit of attention within the band," Newton remarked. "All of us buglers took turns with the instruments down by the Hudson River, on one of the academy's huge athletic fields. As we ran the horns through the various calls, we clearly preferred one particular model. The horn played freely through the entire register and retained a dark, characteristic bugle sound; yet played remarkably well in tune, even the E’s and F’s. The listeners at the other end of the field were amazed at the difference, and we all agreed to order this model to replace our old bugles.

"We did specify a few minor changes from the original design," Newton clarified. "We changed the tubing arrangement, to allow for our distinctive horn-twirling and flourish on the parade field. We also needed a different water key (spit valve). The traditional water keys we needed don’t freeze so quickly. The Hellcats are not pussycats and we play when it’s cold!

"We ordered our new bugles and waited for their delivery like kids before Christmas," Newton joked. "When they arrived, we threw a donut party, and then went to work rehearsing our new show. The difference shocked us," Newton exclaimed. "The notes we used to hold back on sounded truer and more secure. The whole section blended better and could really put some air through the horns. The old bugles, with their limitations, seemed to play us. Now we could play the horn.

"We received many positive comments from marching band members," Newton continued. "As each parade on the Plain begins, we proceed to our spots first, then play the rest of the band into the field. The officers and players all remarked on the clarity of tone produced by the new bugles as the music reached them from across the parade field. We felt better about our playing, since the horns also gave us much-improved accuracy while marching. One difference that required some adjustment was the weight. The new instruments weighed quite a bit more and we needed to exercise caution as we twirled them up and down," Newton concluded.

With a new line of custom-made horns in their hands, the Hellcat buglers can now continue the legacy of musical excellence begun when our country was young. The likes of General Dan Butterfield, popularizer of the call Taps, and the most beloved bugler of all, "Old Benz," can now rest peacefully in the West Point cemetery.

General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, in his farewell address to the Corps of Cadets, spoke of the "witching melody of far-off bugles." Now, under the watchful visage of MacArthur's statue, the USMA Band Field Music Group proudly marches with instruments worthy of their talent.

Buffalo Soldiers Never Die
(they just drive off into the sunset)
by Sgt. 1st Class Richard F. Storey

Matty

For nearly two centuries the United States Military Academy has supplied the nation with leaders, engineers, soldiers and heroes. Without West Point graduates, the country might not have withstood the test of time, succumbing to enemies foreign and domestic.

Fulfilling the academy’s mission requires the dedicated service of many people. Teachers and chaplains, generals and sergeants all strive to instill in young cadets the right mix of obedience and initiative necessary for battlefield survival. As the United States Military Academy nears its bicentennial, it is necessary to reflect on all the countless people who brought the academy through its first two hundred years.

Among the unsung heroes tirelessly working at West Point is Sanders Matthews. Affectionately and respectfully known as “Matty,” this retired soldier continues to serve the Army, the academy and, most significantly, the U.S. Military Academy Band.

“I enlisted at West Point in 1939,” Matty recalled. “The Great Depression still affected large parts of the country, including Coatesville, the small Pennsylvania town where I went to high school. The Army as a career came as a logical choice. At one time, our town boasted a total of twenty-two men serving as Buffalo Soldiers, the black cavalry troopers assigned to the Military Academy. As I attended school, young Buffalo Soldiers home on furlough looked very sharp in their highly-pressed uniforms and fresh haircuts. They cut a fine figure walking down the street. They turned the head of many a young girl!

“When I arrived at West Point, I’d never ridden a horse,” Matty laughed. “However, I soon learned everything I NEVER wanted to know about horses!

“The Buffalo Soldiers conducted their own very special brand of basic training right at the academy,” Matty continued. “The drill sergeants kept us seriously busy from reveille to taps. We first learned how to soldier, then went on to the horses. They taught us recruits from the beginning. From simple grooming and feeding, we progressed to basic horsemanship and finally, precision and formation riding. We lived with those darn horses and the work was always ‘piling up.’ When we finished our training cycle we knew our subjects well. We were a proud and close-knit group.

“The West Point Buffalo Soldiers' mission mostly involved instructing cadets,” Matty clarified. “In those times, even though the horse cavalry glory days were long over, being an officer and a gentleman demanded proficiency on a horse. We provided that proficiency, much to the chagrin of many a saddle-sore young city boy!

“Up until World War II, horsemanship and cavalry tactics took up a fair percentage of cadet training,” Matty explained. “Even during the war, polo and riding competitions for cadets and officers attracted keen interest. We supported all of these activities. “Although our cadet training and riding schedule was arduous, we Buffalo Soldiers still found time for some good fun,” Matty mused. “As a group, we sported a good sense of humor and fair play.

Matty and Cochise

“One of my favorite stories involved a certain mount we called Cochise,” Matty remembered. “Now Cochise had a sweet tooth. He loved his hard candy, and if he behaved himself we always rewarded him with a sugary treat.

“Once in a great while during our work with cadets, we ran up against a young man in need of a small, shall we say, attitude adjustment,” Matty chuckled. “This then became a delicate matter best handled on the riding field of friendly strife. Of course, as luck would have it, this young man would eventually find himself astride old Cochise. As horse and rider busied themselves with the jumps and obstacles, out would mysteriously appear a piece of hard candy. Our well-trained Cochise would obediently stop short for his treat and the hapless rider would continue on his way over the jump, sans horse. Following a few sessions with Cochise, all but the most stubborn young gentlemen looked at us with new-found respect. After all, we never had any problems with the unpredictable Cochise!

“Sadly,” Matty told, “the Army deactivated the Buffalo Soldiers in 1946. We all went our separate ways. I stayed in the service and trained as a medic, and later earned my paratrooper badge. My career took me all over the country, then on to France and even Germany. I finally retired after twenty-three years.

“My wife Cora and I decided we wanted to come back to the West Point area,” Matty explained. “We bought a house in Highland Falls. Both of us enjoyed being back among the many former Buffalo Soldier families who had settled here after their Army enlistments. I worked as a member of the Highland Falls Police Department for thirteen years. Then I became a professional driver for the Short Line Bus Company.

“When I got the chance to drive for the cadets at West Point, I jumped at the opportunity,” Matty exclaimed. “This is also how I first came in contact with the folks of the USMA Band. We seemed to hit it off right away. I think it’s because they remind me of the pride and spirit we old Buffalo Soldiers took in our duty to the academy. Like the former West Point cavalrymen, the band consists of highly-skilled people permanently assigned to West Point. Many stay here for their whole career and put down roots in the local town.

“I always have dibs for driving the band to away concerts,” Matty asserted. “Some of my driver buddies accuse me of knowing which jobs provide the best meals, but I wouldn’t know anything about that! Of course I’m not one to refuse hospitality, but I actually just like being associated with this merry band. I truly feel they know what the academy is about and the part they play in producing well-rounded cadets - just as we horse soldiers knew way back when.

“Naturally, we’ve had an adventure or two on the road,” Matty confided. “While I never lost a horse, I’ve certainly had a few band buses shot out from under me. I especially remember the return leg of one particular Army-Navy game bus trip. My old motor coach, loaded with home-sick band members, died in exciting downtown Camden. Luckily, a friendly beverage store owner kept his shop open long enough to ensure nobody froze to death while we waited for a new bus to arrive. We still talk about that one. Even this past year I lost a Jazz Knights bus bound for Vermont before we even left Washington Gate. It’s a wonder the band doesn’t fire me!”

In a more serious vain, Matty continued, “Truthfully, though, I love the band and the academy. I think the USMA Band is made up of some of the best people in the U.S. Army, and I’ve seen them all. They make more music and inspire more people than any group I’ve ever seen. They contribute something with their music that’s just hard to put a price tag on. With them I feel like I’ve come full circle. When someone asks me if I like working with the band from West Point I can’t help but answer, You got that right!” Matty concluded.