 This is Lorne Greene. Each year, in the nation's capital, thousands of visitors, army families, and guests travel to the vast, echoing gymnasium of historic Fort Mayer, Virginia, to witness one of the nation's most impressive and well-known pageants, Prelude to Tax. Sponsored by the Military District of Washington and with the musical support of the United States Army Band and Chorus, the pageant is performed by the officers and men of the elite Third Infantry, the Old Guard, whose battle honors date back to the beginnings of the nation. By tradition, only the Old Guard fixes bayonets without voice commands to the beat of drums. With a salute to you, our audience, the Prelude to Tax begins. Record of service and sacrifice dating back to 1775. The United States Army has made its contribution to the survival and growth of our nation. Recalling that heritage of service, the Army flag, with its 55 battle streamers. By Betsy Ross to the 50-star banner of today, history has recorded the unique effectiveness of the citizen soldier. I am an American fighting man. I do not stand alone. By my side, and in support of me, are many others as brave and competent as I. They help me in my country's stand for freedom for all men, stand alone. Shortly before dawn on an April day in 1775, the word came to arms, to arms, the British are coming. At that call, citizens became soldiers and the American Army was born. Captain John Parker said to his men, stand your ground, don't fire unless fired upon. But if they want war, let it begin here. The call to arms was heard throughout the 13 colonies and the drum beat of colonial musicians led the Minutemen to Lexington and Concord and beyond. The Fife and Drum Corps of the Old Guard wears the red coated uniform which made musicians of General Washington's Army easily recognizable through the smoke of battle and the tunes it plays are authentic. Although widely used in Europe, the bugle came to the American Army only in the late 1700s. Despite its limited range of notes, a skilled soldier can make it sing. Concluding its performance, the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps renders honors to you in the tradition of the Continental Army by passing in review at the slow and stately troop step. Sights and sounds which call to mind the hard and costly steps that America's road to freedom. The bitter cold of Christmas night 1776 when General George Washington crossed the Delaware to lead the newly formed colonial army to victory over the British. The War of 1812 where British forces fresh from victory over Napoleon met defeat against the rifleman of Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. In the final battle of the Mexican War, the Third Infantry gained its nickname. General Winfield Scott said to the officers of his staff, gentlemen, take off your hats to the Old Guard of the Army. By the mid 19th century, the seeds of division had taken root in the land and the Civil War, the tragic war of brother against brother, brought once again the partings that soldiers and those they loved have had to endure since soldiering began. Four years of bitter struggle, the Union survival was tested. The eyes of the 12 president of Illinois grew shadowed with strain. But in the end, the Union was preserved. Having survived this crucial test, the nation expanded westward, not without determined opposition, but inevitably nonetheless. The action at Wounded Knee Creek, the Indian campaigns ended. And the nations stretched secure from ocean to ocean. Now for the first time, American soldiers were called into conflict beyond our shores. The Spanish-American War brought Cuba's liberation from Spanish domination and earned Teddy Roosevelt and his rough riders an enduring place in American history. The second decade of the 20th century brought to the American soldier his first experience of combat in Europe and to the world its first global conflict. For the dough boy, it was a new challenge, but his leadership was equal to the past. General John J. Pershing was to guide them to victory over there. On his return from Europe, General Pershing, as Chief of Staff, ordered the creation of the United States Army Band. This was done and today it bears his name. Now the United States Army Band and chorus give you a demonstration of the versatility of your army's foremost musical organization as they present a showcase in sound. Only two decades after World War I, World War II was upon us. Under General Douglas MacArthur in the Pacific and General Dwight Eisenhower in Europe, another threat to the independence we declared in 1776 was defeated. Then, after only five years, a new and undeclared conflict brought American soldiers face to face with a new enemy halfway around the world in Korea. Today the challenges continue and the American soldier continues to do whatever he's called upon to do to see that the challenges are met. Precision, discipline, skill and teamwork. The soldier needs them all and these are exemplified by the United States Army drill team. In hundreds of performances both in person and on television, the drill team has appeared before millions of people with its demonstrations of precision marching and handling of arms. They work with regulation army rifles. They're bayonets fixed. Spirit of 76 to the spirit of the 1970s stretches an unbroken and unbreakable chain of service and sacrifice. The individual devotion and professional skill of generations of men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States Army. Perhaps the most fitting and lasting tribute to the effectiveness of that devotion and skill is symbolized here in the flags of the 50 states which formed a union they fought to establish and maintain and defend. The alphabet from Alabama to Wyoming together with all Americans in or out of uniform are represented here in the parade of flags. In the corners of the vast auditorium, two buglers echo the notes of the lone bugler in the spotlight as he concludes the pageant with the haunting silver taps. Ladies and gentlemen, the United States Army has brought to you its prelude to taps.