“Our group will be presenting a wide range of music dating back 50 years up to five weeks ago,” said Tech. Sgt. Dustin Trimble, BOF guitarist. “We want to appeal to the broadest audience that we can. At a performance like this, we get everybody from 4-year-olds who may have heard some of these songs in their favorite movies to 84-year-olds who like to hear more of the traditional songs that we play.”
Col. Thomas Sherman, 88th Air Base wing and installation commander, will be in attendance and make introductory remarks.
Kettering Mayor Don Patterson also will attend the event and introduce Sherman.
“This is one of our biggest local summer events that we have,” said Trimble. “The community around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is heavily integrated, but also heavily supportive of all the operations that are taking place behind the gates. This is one of the ways, on behalf of our wing commander, that we can go out and thank them for their support.”
The upcoming concert will be an opportunity for the community to connect with the Air Force and see a different side of the U.S. military.
“We put another unique face on the Air Force. We get the opportunity to put a different stamp on what the military represents,” said Trimble. “We use the universal language of music to communicate our message. The language of music is a unique tool that can bridge gaps that sometimes other languages or means cannot.”
The full BOF is comprised of three groups, a total of 15 active-duty members, led by Chief Master Sgt. J.R. Erb, band manager. The groups will combine their talents to form a rock band with a full horn section and three vocalists. The band has recently added several new members in the past two months to form their current group.
“We have been in the process of putting our show together and building a really quality performance. We have some unique things to present – maybe even a few surprises for our audience, as well,” noted Trimble.
The BOF serves the local community and goes on tour to augment troop morale, recruitment efforts and community outreach.
“We are the official representatives of the United States out in the community,” said Greg Sell, BOF director of operations. “We take care of internal ceremonies, such as change of command, promotion ceremonies and retirement ceremonies. We also train, equip and prepare our band for deployments.”
“When it comes to the community, we would not have a military without the support of the community,” said Trimble. “Thanking the community for their support and what they’re doing is one of the ways we effectively support the mission of the Air Force.”
For more information about the BOF and upcoming concerts, visit the BOF on Facebook or call 937-257-6526.
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