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6th Marine Corps District Parris Island, SC– Bailey was sitting down at his desk on what seemed to be a regular workday. He noticed a text from his wife, but didn't open it right away. Once he did, he was surprised.
U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Dawson R. Bailey, the cyber operations chief with 6th Marine Corps District, had a hidden talent not many knew about… Shredding that guitar.
Bailey grew up in the small town of Brevard, North Carolina. He was surrounded by a musical environment. At a young age he was part of the choir, learned to play various instruments and had entered multiple talent shows during his school years. Never did he think he would be using these talents and experience in the Marine Corps. Bailey took a moment to check the text message sent by his wife, it was about entering a talent show that was going to happen at the Depot Theater on Parris Island. His wife insisted he enter it because she believed in his talent. Bailey tried to brush it off for a couple of days but with the thought of winning funds for his unit and scratching the itch of stepping on stage in front of a crowd and playing his once again.
He made the decision to sign up on their website, he started looking for potential songs. He knew he would have to choose what he considered a difficult song to play if he wanted to win. Sad but true by Metallica was the song he selected, with just a week to prepare, Bailey jumped right on it and started practicing everyday, putting countless hours of practice, while still completing his duties at 6MCD. As the big day approached, he encountered multiple moments of frustration. Bailey expressed he knew how to play most of the song, but there was a part that came up as challenging even for the most experienced guitar players… the guitar solo. It was either going to be the peak of his performance or his downfall. “I was determined to learn that part as if it was second nature, or to the point he could play it with my eyes closed,” said Bailey.
He received a notification that he needed to show up at the P.I. base theater an hour early to prepare before the talent show started. Seeing the crowd, Bailey felt that rush he once felt before at talent shows he participated in as a teenager. He was ready to step on stage and compete against the other 7 contestants. To Bailey's surprise, he was chosen to be the last participant to perform. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Finally, it was his turn to go, a bit nervous, he started playing but as he went deeper into the song, he played it effortlessly and gave it all he had. With the crowd going wild, it was time for the judges to pick winners. They picked the first winner, a Marine from 1st Recruit Training Battalion that sang, then they picked a second winner, a Marine officer with nunchuck choreography. The room was silent , everyone waiting for the third winner to be announced. Bailey waited in anticipation and when he heard his name announced he felt a high sense of pride and joy. He felt alive again to have played in front of an audience and he was proud to have won funds for his unit.
Bailey encourages anyone with a talent to display it in any way possible and for those who are thinking of participating in a talent show for the first time, to just go for it.
| Date Taken: | 10.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 10.22.2025 10:46 |
| Story ID: | 550260 |
| Location: | PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 15 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 6th Marine Corps District's Hidden Talent, by LCpl Yovanik Calderon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
