77th Army Band inactivates after 81 years

It’s official: the 77th Army Band is no more.

At 2 p.m. Thursday on Fort Sill, military families, friends, city officials and others gathered to celebrate the band one more time with an Inactivation Ceremony.

Originally established as the 308th band on Nov. 1, 1912, the band was later rebranded as the 77th Army Band on Oct. 1, 1943. The band’s primary duties are to provide musical support to the Fires Center of Excellence and its various units. Their role was later expanded, engaging with local communities and helping with accessions. The musicians are skilled in various genres including concert band, marching band and rock ballads.

Marty Schmidt, former band member and master of ceremonies, said it will be strange without the band.

“My experience is being in the band and now I’m doing ceremonies with the band,” Schmidt said. “We have a unique relationship of coordinating stuff with each other, now we’re going to have to deal with pre-recording music or MP3s.”

Schmidt said a lot of bands are leaving the Army due to budget cuts.

“We lost four bands this year,” Schmidt said. “We lost Japan, Alaska, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and this band. Fort Sill’s always been close on the cutting block every year but we always made it to stay.”

Since Nov. 2023, there’s been talk about dissolving the Band, Schmidt said. An order came in saying the Band was inactivating, but all of a sudden, it went quiet.

“We thought the band was saved,” Schmidt said. “The next thing we know, just recently, the band’s inactivating. The other bands were already gone, but they didn’t know about the 77th yet and they were just waiting and they got axed, too.”

Even though people are hoping the band will eventually come back, Schmidt doesn’t think it will happen.

“Back in the day, they brought it back two or three times, but I think this time, it seems like the Army’s not getting more money,” Schmidt said. “I don’t think it’s ever going to come back again. There’s always bands that can come in and augment other ones that get ceremonies here if we need them like National Guard Band or Army Reserves. It’d be nice if they did but with all them leaving and all their equipment, it’s hard to get them all back again.”

Schmidt said the the equipment and their practice room will be cleared out within four or five months.

The musicians may not all be performing, but they’re still an integral part of the Army. They will start out doing administrative duties then “trickle down” into different positions, some at different bases, some even performing elsewhere.

The departure of the Band will be a big loss for recruiting, publicity and other events, Schmidt said.

“They’re always the main act that get the party going,” Schmidt said. “If they’re not there, you just gotta get some small groups or pre-recorded music.”

Schmidt was in five or six bands in his career and every band he’s been in has closed down.

“I don’t know if I’m bad luck or not,” Schmidt said. “It’s that trend.”

Schmidt’s fondest memory is going to the Dallas Cowboys “Jerry World” (AT&T Stadium) for a Monday Night Football game where the Giants and Cowboys were playing.

“That’s the night Tony Romo broke his clavicle,” Schmidt said. “Before the rehearsal, we were out there, and I’m a big Steelers fan. We had a Steelers flag, so during our rehearsal, we’d pull it out and hold it up. Eventually we got to the point where we laid it on the star on the 50 yard line and all the reporters were like ‘No, no, no!’ and we said ‘Oh, no, we’re just kidding.’ So we stood over the star and posed with the Steelers flag.”