Where Are They Now?
Each year the band takes great pride in preparing a tribute to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces as part of the UW Athletic Department’s annual “Salute to Service.” As director, I have been deeply touched by the emails from alumni and former military personnel thanking us for this special tribute and all the work that goes into preparing the show. That’s why I decided to catch our readers up on a few of our alumni who served in the armed forces. I’m certain there are many former HMB members who have served that I am not aware of. Nevertheless, we salute each and every one of you and thank you for your selfless service to our country.
I would like to thank these four esteemed HMB alumni for agreeing to be interviewed for this article. I am developing a list of HMB alumni who have served or are currently serving in the military. If this applies to you or you know of a former member who has served, please consider emailing me their name and contact information at bmcdavid@uw.edu.
– Brad McDavid
Lt. Col. Gary Kahn, ’76, U.S. Air Force, ret.
Lt. Col. Gary Kahn, ’76, U.S. Air Force, ret.
Former member Gary Kahn was born in Los Angeles but graduated from Ballard High School. Gary played snare in the HMB from 1973 to 1976, and was selected to serve as section leader his senior season. He graduated from the UW in 1976 with a B.A. in English and was a commissioned 2nd Lieutenant through the UW’s Air Force ROTC program. However, the Air Force delayed his pilot’s training for a year, so he was able to stay for a 5th year in the HMB drumline.
Gary’s active duty was to last from April, 1977, through May, 1999. While on active duty he was a C-141 transport pilot, then a T-37 pilot training instructor. During his 22 years in the military, he had several staff positions and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1999.
Upon retiring from the military, his experience as a pilot led him to become a commercial pilot for U.S. Airways. However, Gary explains, “After 9-11 I was furloughed, unemployed for a year, then worked for Comair out of Cincinnati from 2003 to 2007. I was recalled to U.S. Airways in 2007. U.S. Airways then merged with American Airlines, so I’m an American pilot now. I have over 16 years as an airline transport pilot.”
Looking back on his years in the Husky Band and the influence it had on him he reflects, “I found that marching band membership was one of the best experiences to develop first-hand leadership skills. As I began college I knew I wanted to become a pilot. But a military pilot also has to be ready to lead. Even more than my excellent AFROTC experiences, the hands-on situations that often needed attention as an HMB squad and section leader helped me grow my people skills. I quickly learned that you can’t just order people to do things they aren’t inclined to do. I sometimes needed to help them understand that what was needed would help the squad, or the section, or the band, or the team. Often that meant extra practice or drill, extra time spent to make a better performance. Band is a setting where many complex things happen simultaneously, and with constructive criticism and practice, the end performance improves. The HMB became a great setting for me to improve my observation, analysis and communication skills. I think my band ‘analysis and communication training’ was very helpful throughout my Air Force and airline years. Over my years on active duty, the Air Force developed and published some easy to remember — but hard to achieve — ‘Core Values’:
- Integrity First
- Service Before Self
- Excellence in All We Do
Looking back, it seems to me that the University of Washington Husky Marching Band has had these same core values since I was first admitted in 1973.”
Reflecting on some of his fondest memories while in the Husky Band, Gary states, “I remember being so proud to play the 4 rim shots to start the Drum Yell. That is a great feeling! I fondly remember Mr. Bissell announcing, ‘Kahn! Okay!… You FINALLY got it right!’ I remember meeting Bert Pound at Alumni Band events, and seeing him serving the band over so many years. Bert was a quiet but effective leader. Bert will always be my hero.”
Gary and his wife of 30 years, Debbie, reside in Lumberton, New Jersey. They have three sons, Matthew (Drexel graduate), Tim (Rutgers alum) and David, who is at Drexel.
