[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 10632-10633]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 RETIREMENT OF COLONEL MICHAEL COLBURN

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, next month Col. Michael Colburn, who is 
the director of the U.S. Marine Band, will retire after nearly 30 years 
with this history-rich and venerated organization.
  We like the Marine Band, of course. My son is a Marine. But it is 
especially nice because Colonel Colburn is a native Vermonter, and his 
appreciation for the band, known worldwide as ``The President's Own,'' 
began decades ago when the then-12-year-old euphonium-playing St. 
Albans native met a principal in the band while at summer band camp in 
Vermont.
  In 1987, Colonel Colburn joined ``The President's Own'' as a 
euphonium player and ultimately became the band's director, a post he 
has held for the last decade. His tenure has taken him around the world 
and back again. He has played for Presidents and foreign dignitaries, 
at state dinners and inaugurations and regular performances that 
thousands have witnessed in Washington at the Marine Barracks during 
the weekly parades.
  I have represented the Green Mountain State of Vermont in this 
Chamber

[[Page 10633]]

longer than anyone in the history of our State. So you can imagine my 
enthusiasm when I see a Vermonter here in Washington and all the more 
so when I have the opportunity of capturing an image such as this, of 
Colonel Colburn conducting ``The President's Own'' during the January 
2013 inauguration of President Obama. I was standing up on the stand 
when the President was being inaugurated and took that picture of 
Colonel Colburn. Of course, the whole world was watching the Colonel 
and watching the President.
  I join with the proud citizens of Vermont and the people of a 
grateful nation in thanking Colonel Colburn for his service and his 
many, many memorable performances conducting ``The President's Own,'' 
following in the footsteps of John Philip Sousa and making his own 
giant footsteps for others to follow. I wish him the very best as he 
begins the next chapter of his career as the director of bands at the 
University of Indianapolis.
  I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record an interview 
with Colonel Colburn published in the Marine Corps Times in February.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

              [From the Marine Corps Times, Feb. 2, 2014]

   `President's Own' Leader Looks Back on Time With Elite Marine Band

                           (By Gina Harkins)

       When Col. Michael Colburn was a 12-year-old euphonium 
     player at a summer band camp in Vermont, he was in awe of one 
     of the instructors there, Lucas Spiros, a principal in the 
     United States Marine Band.
       Colburn said the Marine, a fellow euphonium player, left a 
     lasting impression.
       ``It was really the first time I thought, `Hey, I could do 
     that for a living,''' Colburn said. ``From that moment on, I 
     pursued my musical studies more diligently.''
       When Colburn himself joined ``The President's Own'' as a 
     euphonium player in 1987, he had no idea his career path 
     would lead to becoming director of the prestigious band. Now 
     27 years later, he's just months shy of his final performance 
     with the band. He'll retire from the Marine Corps in July, 
     and take over as the next director of bands at Butler 
     University in Indianapolis.
       Colburn said he wants young musicians to know that if they 
     work hard and use their creativity, they can still pursue a 
     career doing what they love. After all, his perseverance led 
     him through seven presidential inaugurations, to the former 
     Soviet Union and to the stage of the ``Late Show with David 
     Letterman.''
       Q. Tell us what has surprised you during your time with 
     ``The President's Own.''
       A. In my early days as a conductor [while a member of the 
     band], I had an interesting experience at the White House. I 
     was leading our orchestra and was tapped on the elbow. I 
     turned around and it was President Bill Clinton. He was very 
     interested in the piece of music we were playing and had many 
     questions that I tried to answer while I was conducting the 
     orchestra. I realized that even though we were providing 
     background music for a social event, you never know who's 
     listening very carefully--it could be your commander in 
     chief.
       Q. What's one of the most rewarding things you've done with 
     the band as a Marine?
       A. Back when I was a player in the band, we toured the 
     former Soviet Union for three weeks. That was really a 
     memorable experience because it was in the 1990s, when the 
     Soviet Union was really starting to come apart at the seams. 
     To spend three weeks traveling the country and getting to 
     know the people who lived behind the Iron Curtain--who we 
     really didn't know on a personal level at all--to hear their 
     stories and learn how much we had in common is something I'll 
     never forget.
       Q. After all these years with the band, is there any one 
     song that you tend to feel strongly about when you guys play 
     it?
       A. People often ask whether I'm sick of playing ``The Stars 
     and Stripes Forever.'' But even after these thousands of 
     performances, we never get tired of it. And there's one 
     reason for that, and it's the audience's response to it, 
     especially if they don't know it's coming. The ``oohs and 
     aahs'' and the cheering make you feel like you're playing it 
     for the first time.
       Q. Most troops do their job without much interaction with 
     the public. What's it like to carry out your job on a stage?
       A. We really do understand that so much of our military 
     indeed works behind the scenes. They don't have the privilege 
     of being on a stage and receiving applause. It's especially 
     during our tour concerts when we play the ``Armed Forces 
     Medley,'' which includes all the service songs, that we 
     remember all the men and women serving in uniform who are in 
     difficult and trying circumstances where no one is offering 
     applause. In those moments, we feel we are representing all 
     those troops when performing for the American public.
       Q. As you move into academia, what are some of the things 
     you're going to miss the most about the Marine Corps?
       A. A lot of people assume my favorite part of the job is 
     making music at the White House or meeting politicians and 
     celebrities. That is thrilling, and I've loved it. But really 
     the best part has to do with the quality of the people I've 
     had the chance to work with in ``The President's Own.'' 
     They're some of the finest people I've met. I'm really 
     excited about the opportunity to make music with students, 
     and I hope I can bring the very high standards that I have 
     hopefully developed during my Marine Corps career.

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