CHIMACUM — Marching in Honolulu’s Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade on Sunday was a transformative experience for the members of the Chimacum High School Marching Band, they said upon their return.
“It was amazing that we were able to do this trip,” said sax player Nate Miller, 14, a sophomore.
“We are all changed.”
Drum Major Makenzie Richey, 17, a senior, said the trip was “a really powerful experience.
“I wasn’t sure how all of us were going to react,” Richey said.
“It will stay with us forever.”
A high point for Makenzie was when Pearl Harbor survivor Tom Berg, a Port Townsend resident, finished his position at the head of the parade and then walked back to where the band was marching — dead center, 28th out of 56 participants — and asked if he could march along with the band.
“When people saw him marching with us and that he was a survivor, they started cheering,” Richey said.
Band Director Garth Gourley described the experience as “very humbling.
“He’s 92 years old, and he was walking faster than the band,” Gourley said.
The 59 band members made it home at 1 a.m. Tuesday. Only 15 were in class a little more than six hours later.
Band members’ absences Tuesday will be excused, according to Principal Whitney Meisner.
“We don’t know what impact we make on the students today, but they will talk about this for the rest of their lives,” she said.
“Right now, I hope the band continues to pick music that has historical significance and that the students will take what they’ve learned on this trip and talk about it in other classes, such as history and language arts.”
The band, the only school band in the state to participate in the Pearl Harbor commemoration of the 73rd anniversary of the Japanese attack that drew the U.S. into World War II, had left last Wednesday for Hawaii.
Band members had conducted pie sales and other fundraisers, and developed a youth labor program wherein band members performed odd jobs and contributed their wages, to raise the more than $70,000 needed to send the band on the trip.
In the parade, the band performed four selections: “Sousa!,” “America the Beautiful,” “Requiem for a Soldier” and “God Bless America,” played in conjunction with the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band.
It will again perform these selections at the school’s winter concert at 7 p.m. Dec. 16 in the high school auditorium, 91 West Valley Road. Admission will be free.
“It’s hard to pick a favorite moment,” Gourley said. “It was all such a powerful experience.
“One profound moment was when they were performing near the USS Missouri.
“You could see a difference in their posture. The more they played, the more real it got. It was surreal.”
Karen Brennan, the mother of two band students who served as a chaperone, said: “It was a powerful, super-emotional experience.
“I heard the kids say things like ‘We are walking on history’ and ‘This is what our hard work got us.’
“Everyone was reverent and respectful, and they took the experience to heart.”
This was echoed by Gourley, who said the sometimes-rambunctious students slipped into silence when in the presence of a historical landmark.
“Everyone maintained a high level of excellence for the entire trip,” Gourley said.
“The challenge is to learn how to adopt that into our everyday routine and hold ourself accountable to maintain that high level.”
Gourley said Chimacum is getting a lot of positive attention. He cited the Chimacum name gracing a new state ferry as well as the band trip.
He expects both to raise pride for everyone who lives in the area.
“If we learned anything, it’s that our community is extremely supportive,” Gourley said.
“When we began, one of our biggest fears was whether we’d be able to raise enough money, but the community stood behind us.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
