TUCSON, Ariz. — Chief Warrant Officer 4 Otha Hester is the first to admit he has one of the sweetest gigs in the Army.
For 25 years, the Arizona soldier has been playing bass guitar for his country. But, increasingly, some in Congress are questioning the military's need for skills like his.
Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to slash spending on armed forces bands by close to 40 percent in the 2012 budget — a move that, if approved by the Senate, could be the first major cut in history for military music.
Taxpayers spent close to $320 million this year on more than 150 bands across all branches of the service. The House-approved measure reduces that figure to $200 million for the upcoming budget year, which starts Oct. 1.
A cut of that magnitude would almost certainly be felt to some degree by Arizona's only active-duty military band, the 40-member 62nd Army Band at Fort Huachuca, which has a budget of about $170,000 this year.