Bob Blaurock Bio

www.79thArmyBand.org - The Unofficial Website of Former Band Members 1964-1967

BOB BLAUROCK
Trumpet and Bass

After being drafted in June 1965, I was sent to Fort Ord, CA for my basic training. Just by pure luck, a hometown friend from Port Townsend, WA, George Cadero, (who was already working in the MOS office at Fort Ord) had me pulled away from my push-ups and we met in the day room at our barracks. He set me up with a band audition. I had no idea that there was a band at Fort Ord and I was doubly surprised to pass the audition. They must have been hard up for trumpet players! At any rate, George called me a few days later and told me I would be going to the 79th Army Band in the Canal Zone. This was right in the first big draft for cannon fodder for Viet Nam so I was ecstatic that I was not going there. After that, basic was a breeze and I actually enjoyed it, knowing where I was going be. At the end of basic, I was ordered to Panama in September 1965. Fortunately I skipped AIT and I went directly to the 79th Army Band for OJT. I remember I hadn't even unpacked my bags before we were sent to Venezuela. I was really overwhelmed by my good luck!

In June 1967 I was discharged at Fort Jackson, South Carolina as an SP4 and went back to Port Townsend, WA where I worked for about a year, saving money to continue my education and in 1968 I went back to Western Washington University. During that time I started playing bass with a 6 piece horn band. We traveled around the Northwest and we went as far as Alaska playing on Navy Bases that summer.

In 1969, Jeanie Gatlin and I were married, and we stayed in Bellingham, WA until 1971, but my heart wasn't into teaching so we moved to Port Angeles, WA. Where I continued playing with several bands. Jeanie started working at a bank there and soon became Bank Manager and VP. Her career took us on several moves in Washington State, Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Port Ludlow, Sedro-Woolley, and eventually Sequim, WA where we have lived since 1986. Jeanie retired in 2007 working for Bank of America. During those years I continued to play with several bands as a singer/bass player in those cities and played on the road as well. In 1995-96 I got a gig with American Hawaii Cruises working for about 9 months playing on the SS Constitution and the SS Independence, 2 cruise ships out of Honolulu. When I returned from Hawaii I got into the antique business until I had a stroke in 2002. Now I'm not playing professionally due to the stroke. I still play bass once in a while but I no longer sing because I have difficulty speaking.

Jeanie and I do a lot of traveling and we are really into vintage cars. We have 2 old LaSalles in which we go to car club meets and tours around the West. When I got into the antique business, I started selling things on eBay. Now I still sell a lot of automobilia and vintage car parts on eBay at home which keeps me out of trouble.

l really feel fortunate to have played with the 79th. I remember we went on 14 major trips in the 21 months I served. How many people can say, “I’ve been to Potosi, Bolivia, Cucuta, Columbia, Bocas Del Torro, Panama, and Quezaltenango, Guatemala?” How many people can say that they saw a guy puking in front of a 2 Star General while on parade? Or see guys loading mangos inside of a 37mm canon before reveille? I'll bet there are not many people who heard the Venezuelan National Anthem sung in gibberish either? Those were the days, my friends!!

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