Even during the War, music continued to be one of the Captain’s chief interests when his Salvation Army trumpet “Shorty” sounded church calls and accompanied the singing. At Laurinburg--Maxton Army Air Base--he received glider training with the Airborne Troops in the Troop Carrier Command. And as chaplain of the 872nd and 882nd Airborne Engineers, he served in New Guinea, Leyte and Okinawa. Captain Holz was with the first group of Americans to enter Japan when, on September 1st, 1945, he and his jeep “Sweet Chariot” were flown to Tokio. It was upon his return from service in the United States Army that Captain Holz was appointed Territorial Music Secretary of the Eastern Section of the Salvation Army. He has written a number of musical compositions. His works, as well as that of other outstanding musicians, have noticeably improved the quality of the music of the Salvation Army. Captain Holz believes that many of the new attractive ideas found in modern dance music “can be used just as easily in the service of the Lord as in bebop.” Many of the well-known band and orchestra leaders, early in their music experience played in Salvation Army bands. The bands of Stan Kenton and Woody Herman are two of the Captain’s favorites. Another one of Captain Holz’s duties--not a minor job either--he is Editor of the Salvation Army Music Publishing Department at the New York Headquarters. Many musicians say that the best Salvation Army music in this country comes from this department. At this time Captain Holz is arranging a Salvation Army Hymnal for Youth and also is putting the finishing touches on an instruction method for cornet, horn, baritone, tuba and trombone. _Merle Evans, Toscanini of the Big Top_ “See the waltzing horses keeping time to the music of the band, Johnny!” exclaimed one of the many fathers who had taken his son to the circus. The horses seemed to be crossing their slender legs to the beat of the music, and at each boom of the drums they reared gracefully. But Johnny’s father didn’t know that Merle Evans, bandmaster of the Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey Circus, was keeping his third eye on the waltzing, glossy-coated horses and directing his band to follow them. Merle says that he uses three eyes during performances--one to watch his music and one to glance at his players, but the third one never misses anything that goes on under the Big Top. Actually, horses learn to dance without music. Evans watches them go through the intricate steps taught by the trainers. Then he chooses a composition to match the rhythm of their dance, usually a waltz or a galop. Merle Evans, the Toscanini of the Big Top, is now in his thirty-second year as leader of the Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey Circus twenty-seven-piece Band. During this time he has not missed a single performance out of more than 14,000 engagements, and he has no assistant.