OSMOND POST CADETS  Drum & Bugle Corps
   VFW Post #1692, Philadelphia, PA

In 1929, the Osmond Post Cadets were organized by the Private Raymond T. Osmond Post, 1692, Veterans of Foreign Wars to foster creative, patriotic, disciplinary, and initiative traits in teenagers. The original committee that established the Osmond Post Cadets in 1928/29 consisted of Bert Graham. Nece Lehming, John Weckerly. Richard Dickson and others. First uniforms were Black pants, white Shirt and a Tam. The first director was Bert Graham and Hiram Walker took over in 1937. The early corps was all boys until 1936 when girls were added. New uniforms of Blue and Gold were secured by John Weckerly that same year. The next change of uniforms color to Gray and White was in 1943 when the Penn Treaty Corps folded because of the war. The Black and Silver uniforms were procured in 1934.

Even from the start it was seen that the Osmond Post Cadets were going to be a corps to be reckoned with as they set their sights for the top. In 1934, the first title was won. This was the Pennsylvania State Championship, which was again won by the corps the next year. For the next few years the corps missed the state title by a few heartbreaking tenths of a point. The 1939 State Convention at York saw them take third place. The corps kept aiming for the top. The Championship of the New York World’s Fair was won in 1939. With renewed strength they went to the State Encampment at Scranton in 1940,but again missed the top by a few tenths. 1940 gave the Osmond Post Cadets the chance they had been waiting for. The V. F. W. National Convention came to Philadelphia. Again a few tenths of a point wiped out any chance of winning the title. The corps placed sixth. They had missed finals by one position. The boys and girls told themselves that this wouldn’t happen again. Osmond was on the march. But World War II interrupted their plans. More than 50 members and former members of the Osmond Post Cadets went into the service. Six never came back.

While other corps were breaking-up for lack of members, Osmond was reorganizing with smaller and younger members. During wartime, Osmond kept up their reputation of attending every competition. With the signing of the peace treaties, the conventions were resumed. Osmond was ready. The young boys and girls had grown up and were now experienced.

The first Post-war State Encampment was held in Philadelphia, in 1946. The Osmond Post Cadets again won the state title. Osmond was on the march. At the National Encampment held in Boston that year they took third place, but the other corps knew that Osmond was there, because most of the individual championships came back to Olney with them.

The 1947 State Convention was held in Harrisburg and Nationals was in Cleveland. Again the State title went to Osmond, but the National championship slipped away by four tenths of a point. But they were advancing. They were now a second place corps. Meanwhile the corps was winning other honors. In February of ‘47 they won the V.F.W. Commander-in-Chiefs trophy at Alexandria over the Reilly Raiders and other top Senior Corps. They also put on an exhibition at the Virginia State Convention at Norfolk.

In 1948, Osmond was really on the march. The competition at Hershey was won by Osmond. Continued attention to detail, regular practice and personal pride led to the State Championship again in Pittsburgh. This was followed by victories at Shibe Park, Upper Darby, West Reading and Bordentown.. Then came the South Jersey Championship at Clementon, and finally the National Championship. Besides winning the Championship at St Louis, Osmond scored a clean sweep by winning the prize for best appearing musical unit in the annual military parade and many Individual contests.

The 1948 corps consisted of 34 boys,25 girls and 9 committee members, all of whom agreed that now that Osmond had at last won the National Crown, it was their job to hold on to it.

Under the musical direction of Lee Wolf, this period had one of the most innovative repertoires of the 40’s and 50’s. They broke from the standard Sousa marches that most Corps were playing to popular tunes, such as ‘On to Burgundy’,  ‘Hindustan’, ‘Bells of St. Mary’, ‘Make Believe’, ‘Dancing in the Dark’, and ‘I’ll See You in My Dreams’.

They followed up their '48 championship by winning the National crown again in '49, this time in Miami and were locked in their hotel during a fierce Hurricane. This was when they adopted the title Osmond 'Hurricanes'. In 1950, they stunned the   Drum Corps world with a 6 part brass harmony of  'Slaughter on 10th Avenue  – unheard of at the time. They even closed their  Show with ‘Walking my Baby Back Home’. They represented Pa. in the Inauguration parade for Harry Truman and gave an  exhibition at the Blue-Gray game in Montgomery Alabama to a standing ovation from the sell-out crowd. This caused many Corps to shift to more modern and popular music in their repertoire. Lee Wolf was later inducted into the Drum Corps Hall of Fame for his innovative music repertoires with Osmond and the Archer-Epler Musketeers.    

In 1953, the Corps traveled to Milwaukee. they captured 1st place in the preliminaries. Unfortunatly, their bus broke down and they were late for their starting time at finals and received a 2-point penalty. this caused them to place 4th in the finals. Without the penalty, they would have tied for 2nd and lost to St. Vincents by one tenth of a point, but they did manage to sweep most of the Individual contests.                                                                               

Most of their travel was by bus, which engendered a lot of social interaction, promoting real camaraderie and many fond memories. The ultimate result was 20 marriages between Corps members. Many families contributed more than one member. Over time, 29 families contributed 63 members to the Corps.

This Corps would never have continued as long as it did without the personal devotion of Hiram (Hymie) Walker who helped his ‘Kids’ in many ways. In 1998, almost 50 years after his passing, 50 of his ‘Kids’ came for a Memorial service at his gravesite and sang ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’. ‘Hymie’ has recently been added to the Drum Corps Hall of Fame, along with Bob Cwalino and Kitty Ryan as Hall of Fame Associates a new category who have spent most of their lives as Chaperones and Committee members promoting and helping their ‘Kids’ to be the best they can be in Corps and in Life.

The Corps later had a reunion with 105 cadets to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of their 1^st National Championship. It was so well received, that the Corps now has a reunion every 2 years. 

This Website contains over 1,300 pictures contributed by members of the Corps and others. It includes many pictures and music of our Competitors and Senior Corps. If anyone would like to add pictures of their Corps to the Website, please contact Bill Beckmann at  www.w.beckmann@cox.net. All pictures will be returned as is.