-
8:26pm 03-05-2015Jeff Kromer
Year(s) in the Corps
Aug '74 - May '74Section in the Corps
drum Section -- Snare and Drum Sgt my last couple of months-
I think Gary Hart was the guy who gave me my audition. Other drummers were Mike Coffee and a guy named Bucannan and Mike Holtz. I had the honor of recruiting the very first female into the Drum Section. We didn't want her as there had never been female members in the Corps other than Fag and Rifle Teams. But she insisted and the Base Commander agreed with her. Other great memories included the Hail and Farewells we had in the old practice bld near the water towers on base. I recently found my old helmet (liner) painted in Blue Knight colors, which prompted me to google this site. If there is a display case for such items on Keesler, I would gladly mail it.
I went through 304x4 Dirt Radio School at Keesler and spent the next 37 years on active duty, all in comm career fields, retiring a Colonel in 2011. Highlights included commanding the 92 CS and 52 CS , serving as the MNSTC-I J6 for a year in 2009, and Drum Sgt, Keesler Blue Knights!
-
12:02am 02-10-2015Ray Parker
Year(s) in the Corps
1965Section in the Corps
DrumsYour Favorite Food
Pizza- Was in the D&B from April to September 1965 and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Also had the chance to go through my first hurricane, Betsy, while at Keesler. Remember playing for troop change everyday as the folks on B shift would march off to classes and the troops from A shift would march coming from school. Also remember playing for the monthly parades on the flight line and watching the medics dragging the troops who had passed out to the ambulances in the back. Overall, a great experience and enjoyed my time there. Ended up going career and spent 20 years, 6 months and 18 days in the USAF, 11 years overseas including a year in Vietnam, retired as a SMSgt.
-
10:56pm 01-12-2015Todd Brewer
Year(s) in the Corps
August 1981 to March 1982Section in the Corps
Corps Commander, 1st SopYour Favorite Food
TacosWhat You Want For Christmas
To be surrounded by friends- I miss you guys. War has been hell.
-
5:37pm 01-01-2015Jim Fenton
Year(s) in the Corps
1964- 1965Section in the Corps
Herald BugleYour Favorite Food
Phil Blanco I remember you quite well Email me- I was there under 1Lt Jerry Williams and Borelli as drum Major. The wildest thing that happened to me was my 21st birthday which I celebrated 2/12/65 of course I was enebriated when I got back from town and of course the guys grabbed me and through me in the shower well they were in my room whooping and laughing including the Lt, I came walking up the hall J bird naked carrying my under wear Someone stuck their head out of my room and I thru my underwear at them well they saw me throw and jerked their head back in, and of course the Lieutenant stuck his head out at the same moment.... Whap right in the side of his head all he said was put him to bed, boy was I worried, Wish he was still alive so he could corroborate this story. I remember water fights between the downstairs and the upstairs, Its kind of hard to charge up the stairs With a 50 gal trashcan of water hitting us in the chest, well opened the backdoor and let the water flow outside that ended the water fight, they won....Phil Blanco email me [email protected].
-
12:41am 12-10-2014Octavius Wright
Year(s) in the Corps
1983Section in the Corps
StyxYour Favorite Food
GrilledWhat You Want For Christmas
I already have it. :-)-
-
3:42pm 11-29-2014Ed Schroeder
Year(s) in the Corps
Jan 66-Dec 66Section in the Corps
Tenor DrumYour Favorite Food
JapaneseWhat You Want For Christmas
Peace on Earth- The Corps made training easier and we had some good times. Who remembers the guy who ploughed up the squadron area? Left USAF in 1969. Have lived in Sydney Australia since 1971. Still working as Security Administrator at Sydney International Airport.
-
2:21am 11-29-2014Matt Efsic
Year(s) in the Corps
1991Section in the Corps
FifeYour Favorite Food
steakWhat You Want For Christmas
A set of Arri Prime lenses.- My time at Keesler was short (3 months) for computer programming tech school. Fife and Drum was a great camaraderie. Parties at the Seaside Motel Pool on weekends.
-
7:29pm 10-07-2014Michele Hugel
Year(s) in the Corps
82-83Section in the Corps
Color Guard/Color Guard CaptainYour Favorite Food
What I CookWhat You Want For Christmas
My Sole Mate- The time I spent in D&B was amazing. I met alot of great people and I met the love of my life there. I remember the times at the Tivolli and at the Camp Ground, drinking and skinny dipping and drinking again. I remember the country bar in Biloxi and two stepping all night long. And yes I remember the 2 tiles and no brass rules and all the 'BOOTS" visiting your room at night. I also remember all the controversy I found myself in the middle of when Capt Coyne assigned me a red rope because there was no other female rope to take the position at the time, because the only red rope in the Corp was Corp Captain. So I was a Red Rope for the female dorm only and that was fun, I was the one always getting woke up in the middle of the night because someone did something stupid. I also remember a female Lt that joined the flag lined and performed without her bars because that was the only way she could perform. Life was good I had my little Pontiac Sunbird that Natalie bought from me when I got orders to Germany. I have been back a couple of times to Biloxi and only once in the triangle when my son was stationed there to become an Air Traffic Controller. You can never go back because everything changes.
-
8:06am 09-10-2014Mark C Davidson
Year(s) in the Corps
Aug 1972 - May 1973Section in the Corps
soprano hornYour Favorite Food
meat!What You Want For Christmas
Kate Upton- Lot's of great memorys, Moved from the old barracks to the dorm the day I left. I just stuffed everything I had in my Chevy vega and don't think I spent even one night in the dorm.
-
9:14am 09-08-2014Mark C. Davidson
Year(s) in the Corps
Aug 1972- Aug 1973Section in the Corps
sopranoYour Favorite Food
meatWhat You Want For Christmas
kate Upton- Im not sure if anyone else in the corps history had the pleasure of being in it with not 1 but 2 hometown boys at the same time. My cousin Dennis Davidson ( color guard ) and high school buddy Joel Kaufman ( baritone ) were there during the same time period. I'm glad to see the corps is still around and Mr. Criswell I have some photo's of you somewhere that I will try and post. At the time I left I was barracks chief and we had just moved from the old barracks. Even though I had to move all my belongings I never spent one night in the new dorms as I left that very day with my Chevy Vega packed to the max. I had a great time. Bum outs were a right of passage the liqiud goo that could have contained anything from buttermilk, listirine, canned tomatoes, sardines and of course it was left in the window sill to ferment to be ripe for your bum-out. There was no better feeling then to have that concoction poured over your head when you finally earned that rope then it was off to Hugo's for pizza with your comrades.
-
3:59pm 08-16-2014Edward R Wittig
Year(s) in the Corps
;ate 1951 to June 1952Section in the Corps
bugle section-
It was not known as the Blue Knights-Just Keesler Drum & Bugle Corps.Got out of nasty KP duty.
Enjoyed every minute I played in the Corps. Shipped out in June, went to Korea as an Airborne Radio Operator from
1952-1953.
-
9:01pm 08-01-2014Gary Alexander
Year(s) in the Corps
1968Section in the Corps
GuidonYour Favorite Food
In 1968 Biloxi had the best raw oystersWhat You Want For Christmas
Another year-
As a Mississippi native I could not travel home on weekends due to the mileage limitation as a normal 304X1 trainee, so my buddy Tim Eischen (a Wisconsin native) and I looked for more options. We endured the D&B training and served proudly. Now I could travel off weekends at will, with lots of them taking fellow airmen to N.O. Airport or going home to Natchez MS.
I do have poor photos and 8mm film of some of our performances, if interested.
-
10:46pm 07-09-2014Joe Thompson
Year(s) in the Corps
Sep 81- Mar 82Section in the Corps
Soprano-
Great times; base stuff, local stuff (Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, Poplarville), Mardi Gras in Gulfport and NOLA
USAF 1981-2013, finally retired after 32 years to the day
-
8:49am 06-10-2014Keith Davis
Year(s) in the Corps
Jun - Nov 1977Section in the Corps
Styx- Star Wars – and Bourbon Street are big memories. Then there was midnight munchies and getting up to for inspection in the middle of the night -- school @ 6 AM?";
-
2:04pm 05-12-2014David J. Kucera
Year(s) in the Corps
July, 1970 to January, 1971Section in the Corps
Flags & Drum MajorYour Favorite Food
Shrimp- Remember a lot of trips to New Orleans. Marching in the Sugar Bowl Parade in January, 1971. Lot's of Morse Code...