Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), held their annual Marine Corps birthday pageant, Nov. 9, 2014.
The event is traditionally held as part of the celebration of the Marine Corps birthday.
“This event celebrates our storied history of being brothers and sisters in arms,” said Col. Raul Lianez, the base commander of MCBH. “It’s about bringing Marines together.”
The pageant serves as a tangible display of the Marine Corps’ past, as well as an opportunity for Marines to take pride in their rich history.
“It’s important to understand what Marines before us have sacrificed,” Lianez said. “It sets the standard for us, and it’s how we understand every day what we should aim for in the future.”
Marines from various units across HQBN served as role players from each of the major conflicts the Marine Corps has been involved in since its conception in 1775. 1st Sgt. Eric Valez, the company first sergeant of HQBN, led rehearsals and helped the Marines fill their roles.
“We had 23 highly-motivated Marines get into their characters from the history of the Marine Corps,” Valez said. “They did an outstanding job. You could tell that they were living it.”
Valez applauded the hard work the Marines put into becoming their historical figures.
The Marines trained for two weeks for the pageant,” Valez said. “The first few days were rough, they had to learn their speeches, but today they looked like they felt it. They looked great, they feel great, and it’s a great day for the Marine Corps.”
Lance Cpl. Keyshawn Patterson, a network administrator with base communications, served as one of the pageant’s historical role players.
“Today, I played the role of a Korean war veteran,” Patterson said. “Specifically, I talked about the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, one of the Marine Corps toughest fights.”
Patterson said he was very thankful for the opportunity to memorialize past Marines during the celebration.
“Our Corps has such a rich history, and to be able to re-enact that means a lot to me,” Patterson said. “I was never there, but to honor those who were means the world to me.”