This summer, La Salle’s beloved band director, Mr. John Donnelly, will be leaving to go to Basic Training for the 234th Army National Guard where he will play his clarinet as a U.S. Army Specialist in the band, before returning to La Salle in the fall.

Following in his father’s footsteps, who was in the 82nd Airborne, Mr. Donnelly will start Basic Training in June, and although he is done with training in August, he will be enlisted as a soldier until 2023. Mr. Donnelly will be deploying to Ft. Jackson in South Carolina in order to be trained. That includes training areas such as endurance, self-reliance, teamwork, combat scenarios, marksmanship, time trials, obstacle courses and hand-to-hand close combat. Back in December, when he enlisted, he started training to be ready. Since then, he has been keeping up with a vigorous training schedule so he will be prepared.

However, Mr. Donnelly won’t be seeing any battles any time soon. Because he has enlisted into the 234th Army Band, he will be playing the clarinet more than shooting a gun. He was inspired to join the 234th when he learned that several of his fellow band mentors and directors had served in the military in a band. Mr. Donnelly will be using his Civilian Acquired Skills (i.e., a Master’s Degree in Clarinet Performance) to help him perform at his best in the 234th.

Although he will be leaving Oregon for a short period this summer, after Basic Training he will be close by in Clackamas County at Camp Withycombe, and that will allow him to be close to his family even when they aren’t together. “My family,” he said recently, “have been very supportive and helpful. Being able to be close by is one of the factors that really helped me decide to go into the 234th. When Basic Training is over, he will return to his work at La Salle, and continue to direct the band.

Mr. Donnelly looks forward to serving his country in a way that he loves, and cannot wait to begin giving back to the community.