David Lawrence
Pohl, 51, retired Master Sergeant,
clarinet section leader and assistant
concertmaster of the U.S. Army Band, died
of heart disease April 17, 2004, at his
home in Arlington County.
Sergeant Pohl
was born in Lee Center, NY, and was raised
on a dairy farm in Upstate New York. He
attended Ithaca
College
and studied in Europe
under the principal clarinetist of the
Berlin Philharmonic, Karl Leister. He then
moved to the Washington
area to join the Army Band, also known as
"Pershing's Own," in 1973.
During his
career, he served as one of the principal
organizers of the 1992 Inaugural Parade,
representing the armed forces, and
received the Joint Service Commendation
Medal for his efforts. He performed for
five U.S.
presidents, the Queen of England and Pope
Paul VI, among dozens of other world
leaders. He performed in Japan,
the Netherlands
and Australia
and played a solo with the British
Coldstream Guards Band in 1990.
He also played
with the band at the national Bicentennial
Celebration, for the return of the U.S.
hostages from Iran and
at the World's Fair in Knoxville,
Tennessee.
He received numerous awards and medals
during his 21-year Army career and
traveled throughout the world playing in
concerts and military tattoos.
After retiring
from the military in 1994, Sergeant Pohl
served as a clarinetist and administrator
for a number of local organizations. He
was personnel manager for the Arlington
Symphony and the Washington Symphony and
was a contractor for the Vienna Choral
Society.
For the last
several years, Sergeant Pohl was a
mortgage loan officer for USA Financial in
Fairfax County.
A member of the
Professional Bowlers Association and
numerous Virginia
leagues, Sgt. Pohl once bowled 299 in
official league play.
He was a fan of
the New York Yankees and the Washington
Redskins. He also served as captain of the
Army Band bowling and softball teams. He
was buried with full military honors at Arlington
National
Cemetery
in an area reserved for career members of
the Army Band. A clarinet choir and full
military band played at his funeral, and
he was given a 21-volley salute.
Survivors
include his wife of 28 years, Gene
Semiatin Pohl, and his daughter, Sarah
Pohl, both of Arlington;
his son, Adam Pohl of Chapel
Hill, North
Carolina; his mother,
Berneice Pohl of Lee Center;
four sisters; and one brother.
I’m very glad to
have known Dave. I
contacted his wife Gene and she sent the
following email, and gave me permission to
share with you all.
