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Semper Fidelis
My parents arrived yesterday afternoon to take our daughters to visit them for a few days. I mentioned that I'd been thinking about taking the girls to see the Marine Corps' Sunset Parade at the Marine Corps War Memorial (aka the Iwo Jima Memorial), and my parents indicated that they'd never seen it either. I would have sworn I had taken them before, but I guess not. So we drove up to Arlington and found a place to sit on the lawn under the trees.
The parade starts with a performance by "The Commandant's Own," the Marines Drum and Bugle Corps (once lead by a Marine named Sousa). After they finish, two companies of Marines march onto the field, and one of the platoons performs a silent drill. Not only do they execute their drill without verbal cadence or command, they do so with fixed bayonets! The platoon then lines up for inspection, which is also a detailed drill involving the sergeant and an individual Marine. One of the Marines dropped his rifle, and had to repeat his entire drill! The peformance ends with a 21-gun salute and the playing of "Taps" in memory of all the Marines who have fallen in defense of the country.
I've seen the Parade several times, and it never fails to impress me. The marching, music and drilling are all so crisp and polished. If you are ever in the DC area in the summer, I highly recommend looking into attending one of these weekly performances.
The parade starts with a performance by "The Commandant's Own," the Marines Drum and Bugle Corps (once lead by a Marine named Sousa). After they finish, two companies of Marines march onto the field, and one of the platoons performs a silent drill. Not only do they execute their drill without verbal cadence or command, they do so with fixed bayonets! The platoon then lines up for inspection, which is also a detailed drill involving the sergeant and an individual Marine. One of the Marines dropped his rifle, and had to repeat his entire drill! The peformance ends with a 21-gun salute and the playing of "Taps" in memory of all the Marines who have fallen in defense of the country.
I've seen the Parade several times, and it never fails to impress me. The marching, music and drilling are all so crisp and polished. If you are ever in the DC area in the summer, I highly recommend looking into attending one of these weekly performances.