If you left Washington and traveled 7,046 miles, you could reach the following places: Kenya, Siberia, the southern tip of South America, or even the North Pole.

For members of “The President’s Own,” 7,046 miles was enough distance to travel from Washington… to Washington. The Marine Band’s 104th National Concert Tour left the National Capital Region on Oct. 1 and didn’t stop until the Band reached Seattle on Oct. 30, visiting 28 venues across the nation in the process.

Marine Band tour concert venues are as diverse as the United States. The ensemble frequently performs in a professional concert hall in a major city one night and in a small-town high school gym the next. What doesn’t change, however, are the audiences. Regardless of where the Band goes, members are met with enthusiasm, patriotism and loud applause.

“It was such an amazing experience getting to enjoy the concert with my kids in Bloomington” one Indiana concert attendee said.

Others echoed that sentiment, including one patron who wrote, “I booked a trip to DC in February to hear you then as well!”

A recurring highlight is the Band’s honoring of veterans in attendance at tour concerts. Each night, Band members watch from the stage during the concert’s finale as veterans stand in recognition of their service while a medley of Armed Forces service songs plays. Men and women of all ages rise when they hear their branch’s song being played by the Band, soaking in the applause as their fellow patrons thank them for their unwavering dedication to the country.    

Each interaction with one of America’s veterans was special for Marine Band musicians as they made their way across the country, but several stood out as significant. In Elkview, West Virginia, the band recognized 99-year-old Charles “Birdy” Byrd, an Army veteran who landed on the beaches of Normandy in 1944 and participated in the Battle of the Bulge. In Manchester, Missouri, Marine Band leadership met Pfc. Robert Schultz, aged 102, who served in the Pacific Theater as a Marine aboard the battleship USS California and survived a kamikaze attack.

Another distinguished guest was former United States Secretary of Defense Gen. James Mattis (USMC, Ret.). Mattis attended the Marine Band’s concert in Kennewick, Washington on Oct. 28. Mattis watched the concert alongside an audience that included more than 500 students from local music programs. These students traveled to Kennewick from surrounding towns for the once-in-a-decade opportunity to see the Marine Band live.

 “We attended the Kennewick High School concert and were blown away by how amazing it was,” said one patron.

Concert patrons weren’t the only ones excited during the annual tour. Each year is a whirlwind for those involved, but members of “The President’s Own” acknowledge that the Coast-to-Coast tour is always a special experience. This tour is the longest on the organization’s rotating calendar and spans a total of 12 states, from Maryland to Washington. For several new members, 2024 was their first taste of traveling with the Band. Among these was Assistant Director 1st Lt. Jose Toranzo, who jumped straight into a leadership role on tour after almost ten years in the Marine Corps Fleet Bands.

It wasn’t his first tour, but 2024 also brought new beginnings for Marine Band Lt. Col. Ryan Nowlin. This year, Nowlin led his first tour as the Marine Band’s 29th Director, programming a wide-ranging program that received rave reviews from concert patrons across the country. “I’ve heard the Band many times, and right now under Lt. Col. Nowlin it is something very special,” one commenter on the Marine Band’s social media pages said.

Depending on the day, audiences heard one of three soloists from the three distinct programs created by Nowlin – Saxophonist Master Sgt. Gregory Ridlington performed a dynamic rendition of Henry Mancini’s Days of Wine and Roses; Master Gunnery Sgt. Hilary Harding serenaded listeners with Richard Strauss’s Rondo from Horn Concerto No. 2; and Gunnery Sgt. Chris Larios performed his own arrangement of Frank Simon’s cornet standard Miss Blue Bonnet. 

By the time the Marine Band arrived in Seattle on Oct. 30, they had traveled practically the full breadth of the United States. However, the audience in attendance for the final concert at the University of Washington held a special guest near and dear to every Marine.

In attendance was Mr. Timothy LaLonde of Kirkland, Washington, who saved the life of Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric M. Smith almost one year to the day prior to the concert. After completing the Marine Corps 50K race on Oct. 29, 2023, LaLonde happened upon Smith after he collapsed from an undiagnosed congenital heart defect and performed CPR for almost 10 minutes until paramedics arrived.

Band members summoned every ounce of their Marine Corps spirit to serenade Mr. LaLonde, who was also recognized during the performance. He received a huge round of applause from the packed hall, which also sent “The President’s Own” home to Washington with several thunderous standing ovations.

After such a finale, how do you sum up the reaction to such a geographically and musically varied tour? The Marine Band received laudatory comments from thousands of fans across the country this fall, but one Idaho concertgoer put it best:

“Sousa would be pleased.”

We’ll see you in 2025!