Warren “Sarge” Heckner

The 1st Brigade Band and the music world lost a good friend at the end of October this year.

Warren played cornet in the 1st Brigade Band for almost 40 years. He was an important part of the band and its history. Along with his wife Audrey, he became the beating heart of the band during its difficult time of reorganization in the early 70s when he traveled the eastern part of the country searching for antique horns for the band. It is due to his efforts that the band exists today.

Warren was a quiet, unassuming guy who always did "his job" for the band, whether it was playing the cornet or cleaning the restrooms in the band building. That came from his experience as a Marine where doing your job was something that was expected of you. He never had to be asked, he just did "his job".

In the later years of his life, after Audrey died in 1997, I got to know "Sarge" better when we carpooled every Friday night to band practice in Watertown, Wi.

We didn’t talk so much about music as we did our military experiences. Not many people know that "Sarge" landed with the Marines on Guadalcanal and Tulagi, on our first offensive action in the Pacific in 1942. He also landed on Bougainville and told me about the battle of Savo in "Iron Bottom Sound".

I know that Sarges favorite Civil War tune was "Oft in the Stilly night", but when I think of Sarge, I will hear The Vacant Chair.

We will miss you Sarge!