The Back of the Bus

In May, 2010, U.S. Air Force veteran Fred Robinson began a web blog and invited former military musician colleagues to submit memories from their days as government-issue artists. While a few of Fred's non-military musician friends did contribute and some of the material featured on the blog was not specifically military in nature, the overall GI feel was still strong. These tales are the remembrances of men and women who served as musicians in the armed forces of the United States during the period roughly spanning the years 1975 to 1995. This was a peculiar association of earnest parties that, more often than not, produced intensely peculiar outcomes. This is an account of how the 20th-century ended for composer-arranger-saxophonist Air Force Master Sergeant Fred Robinson and a merry band of musician warriors.