Photo By Staff Sgt. Sarah Ralph | The Silent Drill Platoon performs for the Marines, future Marines, and their families...... read more read more
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SEATTLE – Marine Barracks Washington and Marine Corps Recruiting Command closed the Northwestern Tour during two performances by the Silent Drill Platoon at the Climate Pledge Arena in front of a sell-out crowd Mar. 11, 2023.
“The Commandants Own,” United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and the Color Guard of the Marine Corps delivered the colors and played of the National Anthem before the NHL game between the Seattle Kraken and the Dallas Stars. U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Kelsey Hastings, Silent Drill Platoon Commander and Seattle native, was recognized for being the first female platoon commander in the 75-year history of the platoon.
“This tour gave us the ability to connect with the American public and past and present Marines in a meaningful way while demonstrating the precision and skill of the Marines of Marine Barracks Washington,” said U.S. Marine Corps Col. Jeffery Morgan, Chief of Staff for Marine Corps Recruiting Command. “We purposefully focused on locating and recruiting physically and mentally well-equipped young men and women who we believe will be successful in the Marine Corps, and the 2023 Marine Barracks Washington Tour allows us to.”
The game was the final performance of the tour and it turned out to be one of the biggest highlights.
“The exposure the Marines gained from the partnership with the Seattle Kraken was immense,” said U.S. Marine Master Sgt. Kevin Meyer, recruiter instructor for Recruiting Station Seattle. “Getting the populace used to seeing Marines again, especially in a sold-out arena will pay dividends.”
The performance ends the joint effort between MCRC and MBW designed to increase awareness of the Marine Corps while providing barracks personnel with valuable training opportunities for barracks personnel as they embark on parade season in the coming months.
The tour, an aggressive 10-day event, covered more than 7,500 miles and placed Marines in front of thousands of people through the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
The tour officially started on Mar. 3, 2023, with a couple of performances in Anchorage and capped off the Alaska portion of the trip with a performance at the 51st Annual Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race that covers more than 1,000 miles across Alaska.
The platoon completed a drill show to officially start the ceremonial leg of the race before departing for stops in Portland, Ore., Spokane, Wash., and Seattle. Along the way, the team performed at numerous high school and college venues.
Three tour events were future Marine family days. These events bring families together with recruiting personnel to give the parents a better understanding of recruit training. In some cases, like the tour, parents and future Marines are exposed to this unique aspect of the Marine Corps.
Members of recruiting and MBW were able to speak one-on-one with future Marines and their families to give them a better understanding of what life is like as a Marine. These opportunities go a long way in connecting families, communities, and the Marine Corps.
“The BCD tour was extremely impactful on both the macro and micro fronts,” said Maj. Edison Feisal, commanding officer of Recruiting Station Seattle. “The type of awareness significantly enhances our efforts in the current recruiting environment. We had several direct interactions and interest from students in all the schools the detachment performed.”
One of the objectives of the tour was to reconnect with the veteran Marine populations. Hundreds of veterans made their way to tour stops. Two veterans, Pfc. Golda Fabian, 99, of King City, Ore., and Pfc. Donn Thompson, 100, of Spokane, were both Guests of Honor for events in Canby, Ore., and Spokane, respectively. Both served in the Corps during WWII as private first classes and were able to connect generations apart with students and Marines alike.
“All you need is a few good PFCs,” said Thompson, after learning about the previous event where Fabian was the Guest of Honor.
Thompson was present at the event at Whitworth University, a small college in Spokane that prides itself on supporting the military. This event was a way for the university to connect with veterans and increase students’ appreciation of the military.
“I had the pleasure of going to Quantico last year for an educator’s event and I had the pleasure of going to 8th & I and seeing them perform on the parade grounds,” said Phil Labrie, Associate Director for Military and Veterans Outreach. “Bringing events like this to Whitworth is a way to show our students and military community that we value and care about the military.”
Marines from MBW previously had trained for a month in Yuma, Ariz., to begin preparations for the upcoming parade season. The tour provided the opportunity to continue that training.
The full detachment consisting of “The Commandant’s Own” Drum and Bugle Corps, the Silent Drill Platoon, and the Marine Corps Color Guard performs for hundreds of thousands around the country each year in addition to the Friday Evening Parades at the barracks and the Tuesday Sunset Parades at the Marine Corps War Memorial.
Evening Parades at Marine Barracks Washington begin on May 5, 2023. Reservations can be made at https://www.barracks.marines.mil/Parades/2023-Parade-Schedule-Reservations/.
| Date Taken: | 03.14.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.15.2023 09:56 |
| Story ID: | 440403 |
| Location: | SEATTLE, WA, US |
| Hometown: | ANCHORAGE, AK, US |
| Hometown: | PORTLAND, OR, US |
| Hometown: | SEATTLE, WA, US |
| Hometown: | SPOKANE, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 104 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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