Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps

Corps History

The Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps was founded on October 1, 1974, by a merger of two suburban Philadelphia drum and bugle (D&B) corps, the Keystone Regiment and the 507 Hornets. The name "Crossmen" was chosen, from a list of 43 proposed names, by the members of the new corps in recognition of American Legion Post 507, which was named in honor of World War I veteran John Welsey Cross. Beginning in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, the corps has, over the years, been based in several other communities. Their longest stays were in West Chester, Pennsylvania and Newark, Delaware.

The Crossmen were competitively successful from the start, winning the Eastern States (drum corps) Circuit Championship from 1975 to 1981. In 1977, the corps won the American Legion Junior D&B National Championship in Denver ("Nationals"). In 1981, they won the VFW Nationals in Philadelphia.

In the winter of 1996, on the verge of folding, the corps became one of the programs sponsored by Youth Education in the Arts (YEA!), an organization which also included The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps and the United States Scholastic Band Association. As a member of YEA!, the corps was then based in Allentown, PA. In the autumn of 2006, the corps relocated to San Antonio and separated from YEA! in late August 2007.

The Crossmen have been DCI Top Twelve Finalists twenty-five (25) times; the first time in 1977, the latest in 2016.

Sponsorship

The corps is a program of Crossmen Productions, Inc. of San Antonio, TX. This is a 501 (c)(3) musical organization aiming to "enrich and shape the lives of young performers through music education and the performing arts." As such, it has a Board of Directors, director, and staff assigned to carry out the organization's mission. Fred Morrison is the corps director and the organization's Executive Director.

Show summary (1975-2016)

Source:

Gold background indicates DCI Championship; pale blue background indicates DCI Class Finalist; pale green background indicates DCI semifinalist.

Corps Music

There have been exceptions over the years, but the Crossmen are widely known for playing jazz and world music programs. The official corps song is Russian Christmas Music by Alfred Reed, first played by the corps in 1977, the year they won their first national championship.

Bones

Part of the mystique surrounding the Crossmen are references to "Bones." Immediately prior to the Crossmen's performance at major shows, Bones appears at the top of the back stands or in another prominent place to help inspire the corps' performance. Dressed in a 1978 Crossmen uniform with ankle-length red cape and a skull mask, Bones arrives as the corps enters the field, spreads his cape to audience approval, and then vanishes once the Crossmen begin their performance. Bones is considered by some people to be a mascot and apparent fan of the corps. The reality is that Bones is an unidentified alumnus who appears as a reminder of the corps' traditions.

Bones is also the nickname for the corps and for the members who have marched there. The corps' most prominent motto is "When all else is gone, the Bones always remain."

Unity

Unity is extremely important in the Crossmen, and corps members rarely travel anywhere in uniform unless they are paired with another member; traditionally, they also always move during rehearsal in concert with a fellow corps member.

Age Out Crosses

At one time, members of the brass and percussion sections replaced the red crosses on their aussies with the white ones prior to their final performance, but this did unacceptable damage to the aussies. Due to the efforts of alumni and supporters, each age-out now receives a white cross on a necklace before that final performance, a keepsake which can be worn forever.