Witnesses told emergency dispatchers that the drum major was vomiting before he was found unresponsive aboard the bus.

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For his day job, Drum Major Ward, of Northallerton, North Yorks, now works as an accommodation services accountant for the Army, sorting out furnishings for soldiers' homes.

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He said: When I left I felt like continuing it, so I found a local TA band in Middlesbrough, rang them up and asked if they needed a drum major.

BBC: Part-time soldiers 'proud to serve'

Dorothy Height was a drum major for justice.

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Dr. King obviously had a dream of justice and equality in our society, but he also had a dream of service, that you could be a drum major for service, that you could lead by giving back to our communities.

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He joined the TA 16 years ago after serving in the regular Army with the Coldstream Guards and Household Division from the age of 15, retiring as a senior drum major who led parades at prestigious events such as the Trooping of the Colour.

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King did speak those words, in Memphis two months before he was shot dead there in 1968, but they were prefaced by a caveat: ""Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice.

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