The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band has been asked to record songs for the unveiling of a new statue of former President George H.W. Bush in Budapest, Hungary.
The invite comes from the U.S. Embassy in order to help memorialize Bush for his contributions in the Cold War and his life of public service. The Aggie Band will record two signature marches including the Aggie War Hymn and the Noble Men of Kyle to play during the unveiling of the statue.
“[George H.W. Bush] had a great love for this university and the Aggie Band,” senior Combined Band Drum Major Kyle Medlock said. “When the Bush Foundation asked us to provide a recording of two of our standard marches, we, of course, love serving the Bush family and the university so we are thrilled to be asked to do this.”
The band’s leadership has selected a 96-person band to perform for the filming. The selection was based off of the top ranking cadets and the dedication that cadets have shown on the drill field. According to Medlock, the band is composed of the leadership on and off the drill field.
“It is an awesome opportunity, especially during COVID[-19],” Medlock said. “Limited opportunities to have things that we normally would do to send a recording overseas to Hungary and have a bunch of people see what we do and present ourselves in that way and serve the Bush family.”
The unveiling of the statue, created by Hungarian sculptor Istvan Mate, will occur on Friday, Oct. 23 in Budapest, Hungary. In a joint statement, U.S. Ambassador David B. Cornstein and Gergely Gulyas, the Hungarian Prime Minister’s chief of staff, said the project was created to honor Bush’s overseas diplomacy.
“[The statue] expresses our mutual appreciation and gratitude for the statesman,” the statement reads in an article from ABC News. “Who contributed to shaping the future of Europe and within Hungary through his commitment and strong morals, and through his advocacy for democracy and against communist dictatorship.”
As one of the few selected to participate in the band, sophomore Braden Alexander said this experience is special to Aggie Band members.
“It was a unique experience because it’s one of those things that really only happens once in a lifetime,” Alexander said. “With just how grand the scale is just like another country statue being up in place and being part of such a small group is quite an honor.”
The Aggie Band was also asked to play at Bush’s funeral in College Station in 2018.
“Just our willingness to serve [the Bush] family, it’s a great group of individuals that have served this nation and we are just happy to be able to serve them in whatever capacity,” Medlock said. “It’s really special to us that we’re in his family’s heart and in his heart.”