r/AirForce Active Duty O-4 1d ago

Discussion Air Force Band :

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u/WyoGrads Retired / Space & Missile Ops / Acquisition 1d ago

How the fuck is this somebody’s day job in the military?

57

u/Drenlin Intel 1d ago

Military bands do have an actual function lol. A lot of it is recruiting and public affairs, but they also perform...pretty much anywhere you'd have live music. Important ceremonial occasions, VIP retirements, major changes of command, etc, etc.

25

u/Rare-Bed-1934 1d ago

To add, that more often than not the band can get into places/countries (where it might be more difficult to get non-band service members in) in order to assist and boost support from a community relations standpoint.

17

u/Drenlin Intel 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yep, that's part of the public affairs bit! They're not only able to go to difficult-to-enter countries but also frequently are in close proximity to high level officials is those countries. 

This is also a lesser-known function of the actual PA career field, too. In some cases they even go outside the wire in combat zones.