US Army Band partners with SKNDF for 25th Independence
By VonDez Phipps
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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13th Army Band
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Florida-based 13th Army Band, also known as the Governor’s Band, arrived on the island earlier this week and is expected to be a featured guest at the 25th Independence Ceremonial Parade in Warner Park tomorrow (Sep. 19).
The 50-member group, which consists of individuals from various careers, was requested by the US Department of Defence to join the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force (SKNDF) in celebration of the Federation’s Independence Anniversary.
A 22-member section of the group made a remarkable appearance in the Independence Square yesterday, where they gave the general public an idea of what to expect on Independence Day.
Chief Warrant Officer of the US Reserve Component Douglas Phifer told SKNVibes that he is very pleased with the visit and quickly accepted the invitation to join the local band. He explained that the band had not been out of the US for the past 18 years and the visit to St. Kitts-Nevis was a beautiful choice.
“We have had a lot of fun since we’ve been on island! Some of the St. Kitts soldiers teamed up and took us on a tour of the island
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US Army Honorary Coin
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including a mountain-guided ATV tour. It has been a good opportunity to share different cultures.
“St. Kitts is in close partnership in a sister programme with Florida, and that’s why we were chosen above all the other US bands.
We are mainly here to give our support to the local band at the time of Independence.
And, although we may not speak the same dialect or we may have a different language, music is one thing that communicates to everyone and we are certainly pleased with the support and warmth of the people who came out to support this effort,” Phifer added.
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| CW5 Douglas Phifer (L) present US Army Honorary Coin to Commander of SKNDF Nigel Williams |
Phifer presented an Honorary US Army coin to the Officer-in-Charge of the SKNDF Band, Captain Nigel Williams, as a symbol of the close partnership which the US Army Band wishes to keep with the local band.
Lieutenant Kayode Sutton, Public Affairs Officer of the SKNDF, explained that no one military institution operates on its own and that the country has benefited from the partnership with other military groups.
“We share a lot of common ground with the US. We trade with them, exercise with them, operate with them, and now we are having fun with them.
This adds a little more flavour to the 25th Independence Parade. We are glad to have them here. Indeed this year’s parade will be more colourful and will offer more melodies. We are happy for the shared experience which allows cultural and musical exchange. We hope that each band can become better because of the shared experience,” Sutton stated. ~~Adz:Right~~
The 13th Army Band, during its 102 years of existence, has made major appearances in Morocco, Costa Rica, The Dominican Republic and Panama, and now St. Kitts-Nevis has the privilege of being added to that list.
