Military and Veterans Bands

45th Infantry Division Band

Oklahoma National Guard; OklahomaOfficial Oklahoma lineage, 1918–1968; successor designated 145th Army BandMilitary band

Verified history

Master record026

Image status

Photograph withheld

C: Rights confirmation required — not cleared for publication.

How image decisions work

Documented overview

Official Army records trace this Oklahoma lineage to a band section federally recognized in Oklahoma City on August 31, 1918. Through later reorganizations it became the 45th Infantry Division Band and was redesignated the 145th Army Band in 1968.

Verified history. Core identity and history are supported by durable sources.

History

Identity and chronology

The official Army lineage traces the organization to a band section organized and federally recognized in Oklahoma City on August 31, 1918. It became the 179th Infantry’s band, was disbanded in Italy in 1943, reconstituted and consolidated with the 45th Infantry Division Band in 1945, and was reorganized in Oklahoma City in 1946. The lineage was redesignated the 145th Army Band in 1968.

Leadership

A March 1955 Oklahoma newspaper photograph identifies Milburn Carey as director when members prepared for a Washington trip.

Sponsorship and participation

The band was an Oklahoma National Guard and U.S. Army unit whose designations changed with military reorganizations.

Adult or plausibly adult; exact participation model may remain unverified.

Activity

The official lineage credits World War II and Korean War campaigns. The 1955 photo documents an Oklahoma-to-Washington trip during the 45th Infantry Division Band period.

Why this band matters

Named military unit, lineage, or veterans organization with durable Oklahoma evidence.

Identity controls

Relationships

Names are typed so a related ensemble is not silently converted into an alias.

Successor

145th Army Band

Official redesignation in 1968.

Predecessor

179th Infantry band

Earlier designation in the official lineage.

Evidence timeline

What the sources establish

August 31, 1918
Band section federally recognized
The Oklahoma City organization begins the documented official lineage.
Source 2
1943
Organization disbanded in Italy
The wartime break is preserved rather than smoothed into continuity.
Source 2
1946
Reorganized in Oklahoma City
The consolidated band returned to an Oklahoma organizational base.
Source 2
March 30, 1955
Washington trip documented
Milburn Carey and band members were photographed preparing to depart.
Source 1
1968
Redesignated 145th Army Band
The official lineage continues under a new designation.
Source 2

Current research decision

What the wording does—and does not—claim

The 145th Army Band is the designated successor in the official lineage; it should be cross-linked, not treated as an unrelated namesake. Milburn Carey’s Phillips University affiliation must not be confused with the band’s military sponsorship.

What remains unknown

A complete commander and warrant-officer chronology is optional enrichment; the official lineage resolves the core organizational history.

Evidence

Sources

The official U.S. Army lineage and OHS/Gateway 1955 item were checked on 2026-09-03.

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