Posted by someone who knows on April 24, 2001 at 13:31:19:
In Reply to: Military musicians in wartime posted by Curr E. Uss on April 24, 2001 at 11:17:22:
The answer is very simple: all military personnel are trained to perform very specific jobs and none of these (in the Air Force, at least) include "going to war" for the musicians. Bands fall under the Public Affairs Department and are used only in this capacity to rally public support, recruiting, ceremonies, etc. As some has already posted, the worst-case senario could involve guarding a gate or equipment, but at that point the whole country would probably be in a world of hurt.