This We’ll Defend

Grade 5

3.5 minutes

Premiered in Spring 2000 by a tri-service (Army, Navy, and Marine) student band at the Armed Forces School of Music, Norfolk, VA.

Long, detailed program notes accompany this piece, but here’s the short version:  This march was written while I was in Army basic training because I was truly impressed and inspired by the professionalism and dedication of my Drill Sergeants.  The first and second strains in G minor represent the hard-nosed aspect of the Drill Sergeant’s personality, and the trio’s C major melody calls to mind the bigger picture of transforming long-haired civilians into soldiers.  The trio also features a subtle quote from the little-known verse of the Army Song, “The Army Goes Rolling Along.”