Sergeant First Class Rachel Longfellow assumed duties as the Readiness NCO of the 287th Army Band on April 29, 2006.

She earned her Associate's degree in music performance on oboe at Louisiana State University where she studied under the late Ernie Harrison.   While attending George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, she studied under Lorrie Brown.

Her military career began in 1993 when she enlisted in the U.S. Army. She attended her Basic Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and then the Basic Musician Course at the U.S. Army Element School of Music at Little Creek Virginia. She served in the 36th Army Band, Fort Huachua, Arizona and a brief tour with the 2nd Infantry Division Band in Korea. Transferring to the Army National Guard in 1997, she joined the 257th Army Band in Washington, DC. In 2000, she transferred to the 287th Army Band, Delaware Army National Guard.

She recently earned an Associate's degree in Applied Animal Science at Northern Virginia Community College in 2002.

In 2005, she was selected as the Reserve Component Army Band NCO of the Year.  For her service in the training and deploying of troops, she received the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.  She was also a part of the humanitarian relief effort, Operation Hurricane Katrina, where she received the Humanitarian Service Medal.

Sergeant First Class Longfellow has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Good Conduct medal and the Delaware Medal for Military Merit.

  www.287armyband.org