Clemson University Tiger Band Association Goes to Normandy

A first-time adventure for the Clemson University Tiger Band Association was a trip to Normandy, France, to honor American veterans who landed on Utah and Omaha Beaches on June 6, 1944, during World War II. This occasion marked the 78th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.

CUTBA was invited to serve as the lead band in the American Ambassadors Band sponsored by Historic Programs, a nonprofit group supported by many corporations and the U.S. Department of Defense.

In Normandy, CUTBA played in four concerts and marched in one parade, featuring patriotic tunes and, of course, “Tiger Rag.” After three days in Normandy, the group traveled to Paris for two days of tourism before returning home.

“It was humbling to travel to Normandy and see the places where many members of our military … landed on the beaches to help liberate the French people.”

“My husband, Lt. Col. D. Edward Jones, proudly serves on active duty with the U.S. Army as a physician at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, home to the 82nd Airborne,” says Martha Huffman Jones ’00. “It was humbling to travel to Normandy and see the places where many members of our military, including numerous paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne, landed on the beaches to help liberate the French people. It was an honor to meet several veterans who had served in the region and had, at their ages of almost 100, traveled back to the area.

“As an active-duty military family, we have a small idea of the sacrifices these brave souls put forth for the freedom of others.”