Longtime sponsor, Dr. Dan Bolin Butler University

Every concert by The U.S. Army Field Band features a moment of appreciation for the concert sponsor, those vital individuals who coordinate with the Army Field Band to bring performances to their community. As leader of the band's Operations Staff, Sergeant Major Darrin Blume knows how crucial the relationship with a concert sponsor is to mission success.

The Operations Staff begins work with sponsors almost a year before each concert. Guided by the Advance Team, sponsors choose concert venues and develop plans to promote performances through local media. Sponsors work to find available venues that match tour dates and ways to offset the costs that sometime come with venues and concert promotion. The Advance Team of the Army Field Band assists sponsors in finding ways to meet sponsorship requirements. Once venues are secured and promotion plans in place, the Advance Team visits every sponsor and venue in preparation for concert tours. The team continues to assist sponsors right up to concert day.

One such sponsor who has enjoyed a long relationship with The U.S. Army Field Band is Dr. Dan Bolin of Butler University. A good friend of former commander Colonel Finley Hamilton, Dr. Bolin received a Commander's Award for Public Service for sponsoring numerous Army Field Band concerts in Indianapolis, Indiana. Bolin was profoundly affected when he saw an Army Field Band concert as a junior high student. The son of a World War II Navy veteran, he went on to become a music educator with a great appreciation for military service.

Ever since he sponsored the Jazz Ambassadors in 1970, Bolin has sponsored many Army Field Band concerts. While recent economic constraints create new challenges, his key strategy continues to be using local media and community organizations to spread the word about the Army Field Band. For him, each concert offers its own unique rewards. "I remember several years ago we had a 100-year-old World War I veteran in the audience. What a thrill for all of us." As a veteran sponsor, Dr. Bolin is confident that his effort is well spent: "Hosting the Army Field Band is good for your community, your veterans, and your young musicians."