Farewell Cadets

The Cadets, The Holy Name Cadets, The Garfield Cadets, The Cadets of Bergen County. Whatever name you knew them as join me in celebrating them with clips from their first DCI show in 1972, their 10 championship shows, and their last DCI show in 2023. Thank you for everything Cadets. FHNSAB.

[@thomaswhalen1654]

I was in PR in 84 and witnessed the show I personally think changed drum corps forever in the area of drill design and just the sheer execution. I personally think it’s the best shows I’ve witnessed and if seen thousand of shows. The west side story show was flawless.

[@jonathanwillis1143]

Phantom was pretty darn good in 1984 too. I saw you guys at DCI Canada (where you beat Garfield). Fantastic show by PR that night. But you are right, Garfield in 1984 changed everything in the activity, or at least got the activity to the point where then Star of Indiana's 1993 show would take it another step.

[@nicksharpe5220]

Garfield ‘87 is still my ultimate drum corps show, as soon as the overture hits the hairs on the back of my neck stand up every time. I also have a silly tradition that any time I get a new car the first piece of music I listen to is Garfield ‘87

[@TheRailwayDrone]

I marched this corps in 1999 and 2000. Cadets changed the course of my life and I am forever grateful to have marched in such a revered drum corps. I will miss them deeply. Thank you so much for this tribute. FHNSAB...

[@ralphgeigner5497]

My brother and I played with the Kenosha, WI Kingsmen for many years in the great drum corps era ! The 60's ! The Best Of Times. There were so many drum corps in WI & IL My favorite corps, the Royal Airs and Vanguard !

[@1johncabs]

Thank you, StarRacer. I am playing snare in your first clip. 1972.(Fred Sanford percussion book, Don Angelica brass, Bobby Hoffman drill, Pete Emmons colorguard).

[@rosolanko]

Thank you for making this for all of us

[@starracer2057]

0:00 1972 0:57 1983 2:22 1984 4:03 1985 6:59 1987 10:42 1990 15:05 1998 17:57 2000 22:02 2005 23:56 2011 26:23 2023

[@brdanner]

Extremely sad. But the legacy cannot be touched, such excellence across so many years. That Jeremiah Symphony show in ‘85 was unreal.

[@sarahhobson5263]

Thank you. FHNSAB.

[@johneschneider602]

'77. 💔💔💔

[@culversofgallatin3933]

Heartbreaking that I will not no longer see the only other corps I would have marched in - gone forever; it’s unthinkable. Only the memories survive now for this PR alum

[@josiahsgro3553]

Thank you for this, seeing the amount of support all over the internet by alumni and fans is truly heartwarming. I marched HB in 2023 and was looking forward to 2 more years with The Cadets, but unfortunately that will not happen, however The Cadets will always be home. FHNSAB

[@jonathanwillis1143]

well done. Thank you!

[@Surelockohms]

This is a rough watch. So many memories watching the Cadets over the years. I remember seeing them in 2005 and noticing they we're on a different level. I hated Hopkins from the time I met him, everything since has made me bitter towards him and what's he's done. Hopefully DCI as a whole will be proactive in preventing abuse and focusing on keeping cost down

[@okbrassman]

agreed, seems like so many questions have yet to be answered. It's not right the corps has to be punished for neglect of others. Better yet, paying for other people's mistakes.

[@DV-mq5fv]

You might not know the full story.

[@Surelockohms]

@@DV-mq5fv please enlighten me

[@FelixTruvere]

I am a 93 & 94 Cadet Mellophone player. I have enough sense & class to maintain my prior testimonies that George Hopkins and the Cadets staff & family deserve credit for creating hardworking, motivated, innovative, human beings grown to push themselves toward their goals & success. I used & passed along George Hopkins quotes to teach my own classes of students when I was a high school band director; built amazing programs & minds over the years, including myself & my own family. Having been in the Cadets taught me to live an always striving lifestyle and to not accept mediocrity from myself. Now…. Despite all the crucifixions of George; I will not see my history, nor the Cadets be tarnished by an 80s incident when I was in the 2nd grade, when I clearly remember teachers able to grab a child by the neck and paddle the crud out of them in front of the enter class while the kid cried & screamed…. Im just saying the 80s were different and to come back after all these years to see my Holy Name tribe crucifying our leader in my mind is just bullshit. WTF happened to our drum corps? FHNSAB ?? Extraordinarily sad.

[@Surelockohms]

@@FelixTruvere nothing can take away the legacy and hard works the Cadets represents. Nothing will change the respect and admiration of the students and staff that built one of the best corps to every do it. That being said, Hopkins was and is a stain on DCI as a whole. Even before everything came out about him, he was an arrogant negative force that (in my opinion) divided DCI and he is what hurt the Cadets. He is the reason this final blow was fatal. The 80's may be different but it doesn't make what happened right. You can be a great teacher and corps director, and an awful human. At the end of the day this activity is for the youth and people like Hopkins have no place in it. Cadets trying to protect him at first hurt them, but Hopkins going after them forcing a settlement showed he only cared about himself. I have respect for you and carrying what you learned with you and passing it to your students, but not learnings from these mistakes, protecting kids from abuse and changing with the times would another mistake brought in by an evil man.

[@sw6065]

Thank you for posting in 2023 coming out in Cadet uniform at the Olympic retreat were they saying goodbye then?:

[@paulblichmann2791]

In a world where Bill Cosby and Harvey Wienstien are innocent: how is Hopkins guilty of anything?

[@FelixTruvere]

I am a 93 & 94 Cadet Mellophone player. I have enough sense & class to maintain my prior testimonies that George Hopkins and the Cadets staff & family deserve credit for creating hardworking, motivated, innovative, human beings grown to push themselves toward their goals & success. I used & passed along George Hopkins quotes to teach my own classes of students when I was a high school band director; built amazing programs & minds over the years, including myself & my own family. Having been in the Cadets taught me to live an always striving lifestyle and to not accept mediocrity from myself. Now…. Despite all the crucifixions of George; I will not see my history, nor the Cadets be tarnished by an 80s incident when I was in the 2nd grade, when I clearly remember teachers able to grab a child by the neck and paddle the crud out of them in front of the enter class while the kid cried & screamed…. Im just saying the 80s were different and to come back after all these years to see my Holy Name tribe crucifying our leader in my mind is just bullshit. WTF happened to our drum corps? FHNSAB ?? Extraordinarily sad.

[@ThatIsJustCrazyTalk]

There are many things wrong with modern “drum corps”, but working hard is NOT one of those things. The biggest thing wrong is COST, and sadly, there is absolutely ZERO indication that “DCI” will ever work to keep down costs. Constantly adding more instruments, more instructors, more travel, more electronics, more, more, more. And, Hopkins was a huge part of what is now becoming an absolute disaster with fewer and fewer corps. Another reason for fewer corps is because of the costs to the kids. Being in a corps has become an elitist thing more so than ever before. In the past there were corps for every level of experience and every level of affordability; however, those days are long gone and DCI and Hopkins and Downey from the Blue Devils are largely responsible for the current debacle that is DCI.

[@chippy010205]

There are? I really like modern drum corps.

[@ThatIsJustCrazyTalk]

@@chippy010205 Congratulations, good for you.

[@paulblichmann2791]

No Hoppy, no Cadets. Serves em right.

[@FelixTruvere]

I am a 93 & 94 Cadet Mellophone player. I have enough sense & class to maintain my prior testimonies that George Hopkins and the Cadets staff & family deserve credit for creating hardworking, motivated, innovative, human beings grown to push themselves toward their goals & success. I used & passed along George Hopkins quotes to teach my own classes of students when I was a high school band director; built amazing programs & minds over the years, including myself & my own family. Having been in the Cadets taught me to live an always striving lifestyle and to not accept mediocrity from myself. Now…. Despite all the crucifixions of George; I will not see my history, nor the Cadets be tarnished by an 80s incident when I was in the 2nd grade, when I clearly remember teachers able to grab a child by the neck and paddle the crud out of them in front of the enter class while the kid cried & screamed…. Im just saying the 80s were different and to come back after all these years to see my Holy Name tribe crucifying our leader in my mind is just bullshit. WTF happened to our drum corps? FHNSAB ?? Extraordinarily sad. F U for your comment.

[@sw6065]

Well said

[@FelixTruvere]

I am a 93 & 94 Cadet Mellophone player. I have enough sense & class to maintain my prior testimonies that George Hopkins and the Cadets staff & family deserve credit for creating hardworking, motivated, innovative, human beings grown to push themselves toward their goals & success. I used & passed along George Hopkins quotes to teach my own classes of students when I was a high school band director; built amazing programs & minds over the years, including myself & my own family. Having been in the Cadets taught me to live an always striving lifestyle and to not accept mediocrity from myself. Now…. Despite all the crucifixions of George; I will not see my history, nor the Cadets be tarnished by an 80s incident when I was in the 2nd grade, when I clearly remember teachers able to grab a child by the neck and paddle the crud out of them in front of the enter class while the kid cried & screamed…. Im just saying the 80s were different and to come back after all these years to see my Holy Name tribe crucifying our leader in my mind is just bullshit. WTF happened to our drum corps? FHNSAB ?? I’ll remind you that an extraordinary bright light should not be crucified for occasionally casting a dark shadow. Extraordinarily sad.