Crimson Cadets

The Crimson Cadets drum & bugle corps was formed in October of 1970 by Gil Fournier, a former member of the Scarlet Cadets of Maine. They incorporated as a self-supported unit.

After their first season as a parade and exhibition corps, the 1972 edition of the Cadets, their first year of field competition, played one selection written and arranged by their drum major, Mark Stortvedt, who was all of fourteen years old at the time. They went on to a 2^nd place finish in the Nebraska American Legion (AL) state convention.

In 1973, the corps participated at the Kansas State VFW championships, placing 12^th and won the Nebraska state title. The next two years saw the group compete in the 1974 VFW Nationals, where they placed 27^th in the prelims and the 1975 AL Nationals, finishing 17^th in the preliminary round.

The Norfolk corps appeared in the 1976 DCI Midwest prelims, placing 33^rd and in 1977, participated in the prelims of both the DCI and AL Nationals, placing 20^th in the “Class A” and 30^th in respectively. They returned to the 1978 VFW Nationals, qualifying for the finals with a 10^th place finish and competed regionally the following season.

From 1977 to 1982, Jack Fischer, music director of the Norfolk Junior high school band, was corps director, leading them to another performance in the 1980 VFW Nationals, placing 12^th in the prelims and a 4^th place finish in the DCI Midwest “Class A” championships.

The Crimson Cadets went on an extensive tour in 1982 and en route, they lost a shoe, a flag, a few rifles, endured a bus fire and ditched an equipment truck but still managed to qualify in the finals of the both the Key to the Sea and American International Open “Class A” championships, placing 6^th and 4^th respectively. They ranked 10^th in the DCI “Class A” prelims and closed out their final year with a 2^nd place finish in the 1983 VFW Nationals.

 Due to mounting debt, the corps disbanded in 1984.

Drum Corps World, June 14, 2002, p.3; Paul Legault (DCX)

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