I had a real treat today; I drove up to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to watch the Marine Corps Battle Color Ceremony be performed by the Marine Corps Drum & Bugle Corps (The Commandant's Own), the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, and the Marine Corps Color Guard.I was most impressed with the Drum & Bugle Corps "Music in Motion" presentation. These Marines not only perform great music, but they change formation at the same time! Pieces they performed included: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, a James Bond Medley, You're Beautiful (James Blunt was a captain in the British Army), and Stars & Stripes Forever. They also performed the Star Spangled Banner and the Marine's Hymn.
The Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon was very cool to watch, but not as impressive as the stuff in the film "A Few Good Men". Still, they have some great tricks. One of my favorites is this rifle toss, during the fancy rifle inspection sequence of their routine.Also, while I was close to the field, I wasn't nearly close enough to catch the precision movements on my digital camera. Bummer. (And yes, bayonets are attached to those M-1s!)
After the Battle Color Ceremony the crowd was invited onto the field to meet the Marines in the Drum & Bugle Corps and the Silent Drill Platoon. What this really meant was that parents could drag their children down for a photo-op. It was really cute. There's something really charming about children and military men, especially Marines. 
2 comments:
Love the photos!
Thanks Don!
Apparently someone else was as enamored with their rendition of "You're Beautiful" as I was; I found this video on YouTube today. They're performing on the San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot parade ground. This is where "boot camp" graduations are held. My dad (and cousin) graduated here when he finished basic in the 60's. Apparently those yellow buildings look exactly the same then as they do today! The PX there is really nice.
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