Army All-American Marching Band Selects Oswego High School drummer and mellophone player

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Gina Bartholomew and Jeffrey Murray of Oswego High School have been selected to be members of the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Marching Band.  Bartholomew and Murray will join an elite group of musicians who will perform during halftime of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

A very special ceremony was conducted at Wilber Field at the completion of practice on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
Special guests included  Captain Thane Spears and Staff Sgt. Matthew Burdick as well as Assemblyman Wil Barclay.
Band Director Scott Ciesla spoke of how proud he was for the two Oswego High School seniors and congratulated them for their dedication to the music program.  Former Army All-American selections Heather Buske and  Chelsea Bartlett returned to Oswego to celebrate with the newest selections.

The Army has a distinguished musical history with numerous bands and musical acts still performing around the world today,” said John Myers, director of strategic communications, marketing and outreach, U.S. Army Accessions Command. “The skills and strengths necessary to be a successful band member are mirrored in Army Strong Soldiers. Only the strongest wear the Army colors, which is why we are proud to honor all of our 2012 U.S. Army All-American Band members and congratulate each of them on their selection.”

The U.S. Army All-American Marching Band recognizes the top 125 high school senior marching musicians and color guard members from across the country, showcasing their talents during the largest celebration of high school football in America, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, televised live on NBC at 1 p.m. EST on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012.

For more than 11 years, the Army All-American Bowl has been the nation’s premier high school football game, serving as the preeminent launching pad for America’s future college and NFL stars. Adrian Peterson, Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, Ndamukong Suh, Marcus Lattimore, and Andrew Luck all made their national debuts as U.S. Army All-Americans.  The 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl drew a crowd of nearly 38,000 to the Alamodome, and was the most-watched sporting event on television over the weekend, excluding the NFL playoffs.

The U.S. Army Accessions Command (USAAC), a subordinate command of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, meets the human resource needs of the Army by transforming volunteers into officers, warrant officers, and enlisted soldiers.  In providing the force, the 18,391 men and women of Accessions Command prepare these future soldiers and leaders for their initial military training. Commanded by Lt. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, USAAC is located at Fort Knox, Ky.

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is owned and produced by All American Games, a New Jersey-based sport marketing and event management company. The U.S. Army is the title sponsor of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and American Family Insurance is the principal secondary sponsor. Other national sponsors include Rivals.com, San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, Russell Athletic, adidas, Gatorade, Schutt Sports, NCSA, TapouT, Oakley, NewTek and Football University. National sponsors of the All-American Marching Band include NAfME: The National Association for Music Education, Drum Corps International, Jupiter Band Instruments and DeMoulin Uniforms.

For more information on the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and its related events visit www.usarmyall americanbowl.com and www.goar my.com/events/aab or the official Facebook and Twitter pages located at http://www.facebook.com/US ArmyAllAmericanBowl, http://www.facebook.com/USAAAMB and www.twitter.com/armyallamerican.

Photo Caption: Gina Bartholomew and Jeffrey Murray were honored by the U.S. Army as All-American musicians. Joining in the celebration were Assemblyman Wil Barclay, Staff Sgt. Matthew Burdick, Captain Thane Spears and Oswego Marching Bucs Director Scott Ciesla