European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 13, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Etna Boit Ibeck motherhood is the longest running continuous production of your life. Every Day. Seven Days a week it does t matter it it s standing room Only or an empty House you play to it. It Doben t matter it the Cri hcs love or hate your performance. The show never closes. Every Day you climb into your costume and do the Best you can writing the script As you go along. As i climbed into my makeup his morning for yet another performance. I thought about How Long i have played this part. When i was pregnant with the first child i remember saying to my husband i Don t know How i m supposed to act or what i m supposed to do. I mean what s my motivation he said your motivation is in you Don t give birth soon you re going to have your own zip code the first couple of years i had All the lines. It was a demanding role but i controlled the stage. When the kids developed speaking parts their moves were unpredictable and my Job got tougher. After the children started school there were limes when i Felt alone on the stage. I even talked to the tropical fish one Day about China s foreign policy. I toyed with the idea of briefly taking a part in another production. Surely someone could make an announcement each morning the principal role of Mother today will be played by an but i knew better. No matter what i did. The contract was binding the performances would have to mesh. Some Days we did Neil Simon other nights we performed scenes right out of Tennessee Williams. Throughout the years we were joined by an unending Parade of supporting players grandparents teachers coaches friends doctors neighbors dogs guppies. Girlfriends boyfriends and orthodontists. They came and they went. The dialogue changed with the times. When i began the part i used to say i m tired " now i m stressed i used to rap with the family. Now i Bond " talk to me i m your Mother has become. Let s make some Quality time " the theater has a Way of grooming people for better things. I like to think that s what happened to our cast of children. Of. Occasionally they come Back for a special performance but mostly my husband and i Are like Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy doing the Gin game. I be seen the motherhood role played by men grandparents friends aunts and even social workers. It does t matter who plays it. What does matter is that when the curtain goes up each Day. Someone is there to dazzle and lib support Comfort listen and fulfil what 1 feel is the most important role i la Ever be offered in my life. It s the Only one i la be remembered for. On a Day like Mother s Day. There is even applause. C 1989 Emma Bombeck master sgt Pat Fanara sings country tunes in a Salute to the grand Ole opry. Not a cushy Job to Are the members of the u s. Air Force band a to Many they Are Plain enlisted folks who have lucked into the Cushi Osl Obs in the service but anyone who spends time with the band realizes that nothing could be More untrue band duty could be considered a hardship tour based on family separation alone members average 90 to 120 Days on the Road each year and the band s various sub components collectively log More than 1,800 performances annually. Another misconception perhaps fuelled in part by envy stems from the fact that the band is top heavy in terms of enlisted rank the lowest slots Are e-6 and Many members Are e-9s. But the us. Air Force band members Are among the finest musicians working today virtuosos who would be at Home in the most prestigious symphony orchestras. Professional critics have hailed the band As one of the Best in the world and an organization without precedent the rank Issue can be explained by the act that. It looks glamorous and i guess it is but people never see All the hard work that goes into something like our Europe master sgt. Laurel Mcfayden unlike other career Fields band members Are considered to be at or near the Peak of their abilities and educational training from the Day they join. Many of the band s 219 members have master s degrees and almost two dozen hold doctoral degrees. We sort of pay Lor the rank ourselves said senior master sgt Rhonda Smith the band s harpist who studied at the Juilliard school of music in new York City the military trains you in other jobs but everyone Here has already spent thousands and thousands of dollars of his own Money on schooling you Don t gel out Here once you re there s this misconception that we re not really part of the air Force said it. Col. James m. Bankhead. The band s commander and conductor who has a doctorate degree. But the Only difference is that we provide musical support As opposed to a Field maintenance Squadron providing Field maintenance support. We stand in inspections. Our people Lake Basic training whether they hold degrees from Juilliard or Bankhead is Only the fifth director since the band s inception in 1941, a fact that serves to highlight another quirk of this duty it s virtually a career yield unto itself. Once prospective members pass grueling auditions for the rare openings that come up. They can spend their entire military careers with the band based at boiling fab in Washington . Other air Force members often draw a picture of the band irom what they know of tops in Blue an air Force entertainment group whose members Servo one year Tours Belore returning to their regular career Fields said master sgt. Laurel Mcfayden. People Are always sceptical about this being a full Lime Job Mcfadon said. I m telling you it is Lull time. It looks glamorous and i guess it is. But people never see All the hard work that goes into something like our Europe ask the members Why they Are in the band and most say they Are attracted to the professional level of the work they do. It would be easy to say i can t make in on the outside but people Are hired Here on a Lough competitive basis too Mcfayden said. I suppose i just like functioning As a musician in Tho military. When you have to run through five different styles in one show it s a you have highly educated motivated and trained people Here said Chiel master sgt. Bob Michalki a 27-year Veteran who leads the 65-member concert band. Once you get into an atmosphere like that you Don t want to c v. Saturday May 13, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 17
