U.S. Army Air Corps 344th Cadet Training Division
Oklahoma City, OK United States
Inactive Senior
| Year | Position | Score | Theme/Songs |
|---|---|---|---|
| No information available | |||
CORPS Photos
“The Army Air Corps 344th Air Cadet Training Division Drum & Bugle Corps” of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1943 with Acting Commander and Drum Major, William A. McGrath, or Rochester, N.Y., and Drum Section Leader Hubert Ablondie of New Haven Connecticut.
The Army Air Corps 344th Air Cadet Training Division Drum & Bugle Corps” of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was initiated for the purpose of company morale, ceremonial, pageantry, and unit support, by the Air Corps Training Division Commanding Officer and Air Cadet Trainees of the “344th Air Cadet Training Division.
William McGrath joined the Army in December of 1942 and while completing basic training joined the “101st Army Airborne” to become a paratrooper. He broke his leg in a practice parachute jump at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was temporarily reassigned while on the mend, in Camp Howze, Texas at the 309th Medical Battalion Unit. The company commander there asked McGrath if he could play the bugle.
With Mr. McGrath’s father having a trombone background, his mother having a piano background, and his own familiarity with music, he accepted the offer and was sent to “Field Music School” to become an officially sanctioned “Army” bugler. After healing from his leg injury, he could not return to his earlier sequence in paratrooper training as too much time had lapsed.
Mr. McGrath then applied for and passed mandatory tests to become an “Army Air Corps” pilot. He was then assigned to the “344th Division Air Cadet Training School” at Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma. Just after entering “Air Cadet Training”, the Commanding Officer and fellow “Trainees” formed the “Army Air Corps 344th Division Drum & Bugle Corps”. With McGrath being the only “Air Cadet Trainee” who had completed “Field Music School”, he was promoted to “Acting Commander” and “Drum Major”.
The Drum Section Leader, in the 344th Drum Corps, was Hubert Ablondie from New Haven, Connecticut. Mr. Ablondie was not only the lead snare drummer and Drum Section Leader but was well-known in earlier civilian Fife & Drum Corps circles. After WWII, Mr. Ablondie returned to Connecticut to further his involvement in the civilian Fife & Drum Corps arena. Eight years later he relocated to Ypsilanti, Michigan to be closer to his family which was made known at an 86th Blackhawk Division Reunion in 1991 in Chicago.
The death of Brigadier General William L. “Billy” Mitchell was on February 18, 1936, but his highly influential work continued to have a great impact on the “Army Air Corps”. General Mitchell had well-known struggles in convincing the “Army Air Corps” to become a separate “Air Force”. Large public rallies were often held in support of those initiatives, prior to and during WWII, for the purpose of that vision. “The 344th Air Cadet Training Division Drum & Bugle Corps” pictured here was en route to one of those support rallies on the parade deck of Oklahoma University.
The photos, herein, include “The 344th Army Air Corps Training Division Drum & Bugle Corps”, in 1943, in a “Ceremonial Battalion Formation” on the Parade Deck of Oklahoma, City University in a “Sound-Off” segment, was standardly performed by the Drum & Bugle Corps, in that “Battalion Formation Parade” for the purpose of highlighting those honored units selected for deployment.
Standard training at the Air Cadet School was designed to be administered in two phases. The first phase of Air Cadet instruction was on how to actually fly an aircraft. The second phase of training was more about the components of being assigned to a specific mission. With the Battle of the Bulge having caused so many casualties, especially the U.S. Army, there was a need to backfill troops, in Germany, to replace our many losses.
A command decision was made after the “Battle of the Bulge” that if an “Air Cadet Trainee” was in the second phase of training, he would stay to complete that cycle. Transversely, if an “Air Cadet Trainee”, had finished the first phase of training but was not entered into the second phase of training he was then deployed with an infantry unit even though considered to be a fully sanctioned Army Air Corps pilot.
Mr. McGrath was then assigned to the 86th Blackhawk Division, 342nd Infantry Regiment, Ammunition, and Pioneering (A&P) Platoon and deployed to Germany. The 86th went through Dachau, then up through the Ruhr Valley with battle-action there, and eventually into Manheim and immediately, thereafter, deployed to the Philippines.
William McGrath felt that if he got through the Ruhr Valley, in one piece, he would start a drum corps, when he got home, much like the Oklahoma City Army Air Corps 344th Air Cadet Training Division Drum & Bugle Corps” in which he, Hubert Ablondie, and all the other corps members enjoyed so much.
Unfortunately, there is not an overabundance of information on the other members of this 344th Army Air Corps Cadet Training Division Drum & Bugle Corps as it was not available. The rendering of facts herein, however, do reflect the decision-making of the Commanding Officer, the activities of the unit itself, the activities of the Acting Commander/Drum Major, and the inclusion of the Drum Section leader and the type of missions that the Drum Corps embarked upon with acute accuracy. It is unknown if this 344th Army Air Corps Training Division Drum & Bugle Corps transitioned over to become an active Air Force Drum & Bugle Corps unit after 1947 "or not".
-- William A McGrath Jr (March 2023)
The Army Air Corps 344th Air Cadet Training Division Drum & Bugle Corps” of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was initiated for the purpose of company morale, ceremonial, pageantry, and unit support, by the Air Corps Training Division Commanding Officer and Air Cadet Trainees of the “344th Air Cadet Training Division.
William McGrath joined the Army in December of 1942 and while completing basic training joined the “101st Army Airborne” to become a paratrooper. He broke his leg in a practice parachute jump at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was temporarily reassigned while on the mend, in Camp Howze, Texas at the 309th Medical Battalion Unit. The company commander there asked McGrath if he could play the bugle.
With Mr. McGrath’s father having a trombone background, his mother having a piano background, and his own familiarity with music, he accepted the offer and was sent to “Field Music School” to become an officially sanctioned “Army” bugler. After healing from his leg injury, he could not return to his earlier sequence in paratrooper training as too much time had lapsed.
Mr. McGrath then applied for and passed mandatory tests to become an “Army Air Corps” pilot. He was then assigned to the “344th Division Air Cadet Training School” at Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma. Just after entering “Air Cadet Training”, the Commanding Officer and fellow “Trainees” formed the “Army Air Corps 344th Division Drum & Bugle Corps”. With McGrath being the only “Air Cadet Trainee” who had completed “Field Music School”, he was promoted to “Acting Commander” and “Drum Major”.
The Drum Section Leader, in the 344th Drum Corps, was Hubert Ablondie from New Haven, Connecticut. Mr. Ablondie was not only the lead snare drummer and Drum Section Leader but was well-known in earlier civilian Fife & Drum Corps circles. After WWII, Mr. Ablondie returned to Connecticut to further his involvement in the civilian Fife & Drum Corps arena. Eight years later he relocated to Ypsilanti, Michigan to be closer to his family which was made known at an 86th Blackhawk Division Reunion in 1991 in Chicago.
The death of Brigadier General William L. “Billy” Mitchell was on February 18, 1936, but his highly influential work continued to have a great impact on the “Army Air Corps”. General Mitchell had well-known struggles in convincing the “Army Air Corps” to become a separate “Air Force”. Large public rallies were often held in support of those initiatives, prior to and during WWII, for the purpose of that vision. “The 344th Air Cadet Training Division Drum & Bugle Corps” pictured here was en route to one of those support rallies on the parade deck of Oklahoma University.
The photos, herein, include “The 344th Army Air Corps Training Division Drum & Bugle Corps”, in 1943, in a “Ceremonial Battalion Formation” on the Parade Deck of Oklahoma, City University in a “Sound-Off” segment, was standardly performed by the Drum & Bugle Corps, in that “Battalion Formation Parade” for the purpose of highlighting those honored units selected for deployment.
Standard training at the Air Cadet School was designed to be administered in two phases. The first phase of Air Cadet instruction was on how to actually fly an aircraft. The second phase of training was more about the components of being assigned to a specific mission. With the Battle of the Bulge having caused so many casualties, especially the U.S. Army, there was a need to backfill troops, in Germany, to replace our many losses.
A command decision was made after the “Battle of the Bulge” that if an “Air Cadet Trainee” was in the second phase of training, he would stay to complete that cycle. Transversely, if an “Air Cadet Trainee”, had finished the first phase of training but was not entered into the second phase of training he was then deployed with an infantry unit even though considered to be a fully sanctioned Army Air Corps pilot.
Mr. McGrath was then assigned to the 86th Blackhawk Division, 342nd Infantry Regiment, Ammunition, and Pioneering (A&P) Platoon and deployed to Germany. The 86th went through Dachau, then up through the Ruhr Valley with battle-action there, and eventually into Manheim and immediately, thereafter, deployed to the Philippines.
William McGrath felt that if he got through the Ruhr Valley, in one piece, he would start a drum corps, when he got home, much like the Oklahoma City Army Air Corps 344th Air Cadet Training Division Drum & Bugle Corps” in which he, Hubert Ablondie, and all the other corps members enjoyed so much.
Unfortunately, there is not an overabundance of information on the other members of this 344th Army Air Corps Cadet Training Division Drum & Bugle Corps as it was not available. The rendering of facts herein, however, do reflect the decision-making of the Commanding Officer, the activities of the unit itself, the activities of the Acting Commander/Drum Major, and the inclusion of the Drum Section leader and the type of missions that the Drum Corps embarked upon with acute accuracy. It is unknown if this 344th Army Air Corps Training Division Drum & Bugle Corps transitioned over to become an active Air Force Drum & Bugle Corps unit after 1947 "or not".
-- William A McGrath Jr (March 2023)
No scores available.
No members have registered to be listed
No collection items available. Please contact us if you have something to contribute.
LOADING.....
No links available
