From the halls of Monroe-Woodbury, to the fields of Bethel Woods

1978 graduate returns to lead Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps in a star-spangled tribute at the former Woodstock site, By Claudia Wysocki Monroe - Major Brian Dix is coming home. It’s been a while for the 1978 Monroe-Woodbury graduate. Not only in terms of time but in terms the road he’s traveled since he left after high school. Some here might remember him as a member of the Audio Visual Squad during his high school years. Some might remember him broadcasting the Crusaders’ football games with classmate Joey Frandino, now an editor with CBS News. Or he might come to mind as a cub reporter for The Photo News. And still others might recall him as a hard-working, enthusiastic music student under the tutelage of teacher and band director August Natoli. “I never took a private lesson in my life,” said Dix. “Everything I learned was at Monroe-Woodbury.” If that’s the case, Natoli would be proud to know that his former student is now the director and commanding officer of the United States Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps. And he’s coming home, or pretty close by. He and his corps are headlining at the July 3 Bethel Woods Star Spangled tribute. Dix will be leading 80 Marine musicians, dressed in ceremonial scarlet and white uniforms, as they perform martial and popular music. The acclaimed corps will be sharing the iconic Woodstock Festival stage with the New York Philharmonic. Both groups will also be appearing in concert July 2, 4 and 5 at Lincoln Center in New York City. The first time at Lincoln Center Dix recalls the first time he attended a performance at Lincoln Center. Natoli had brought the high school band to watch a rehearsal at the world famous music center. “All I could think of was how much I wanted to be on that stage,” said Dix. “And now, I will be.” His highly disciplined corps performs at military and public ceremonies throughout the United States and the world, but the Marine’s last hometown performance was in 1989 in honor of the Town of Monroe’s bicentennial celebration. It was a standing-room only performance that drew Monroe-Woodbury alumni, as well as former Marines, from throughout the tri-state area. Even though his visits home are few and far between, Dix said he has great affection for Monroe and for the former Marines in this region. “We rarely get to upstate New York,” said Dix. “In fact, the last time I was up in that neck of the woods, Woodstock was one, big empty field.” Presidential appointment Dix earned a bachelor’s degree is music from Mansfield University in 1982 and a master of music degree in conducting from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. In 1983, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. Following his tour of duty, he taught in New Jersey while serving in the National Guard. He returned to the Marines in 1989. Dix was appointed warrant officer and became director of the “Commandants Own” - the Drum and Bugle Corps - in 1998. With the job came a Presidential appointment to the rank of major. He finds time for volunteer work in his busy schedule, though, and can often be found visiting with wounded soldiers at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda in Maryland. One of his most momentous meetings was with a badly wounded Navy Corpsman, who described for Dix his own act of heroism during battle in Fallujah, Iraq. That soldier’s story became the inspiration of a musical composition written by Dix, a march for the United States corpsmen titled “Corpsmen Up.”