Category: Ceremonies/Events

Source: United States Marines

WASHINGTON, D.C. —

Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., will host a distinguished event this Friday, July 26: the enlisted-led Evening Parade. Located at the intersection of 8th & I Streets in southeast Washington, D.C., the Barracks is renowned for its pivotal roles in ceremonial functions and security operations within the nation’s capital. This unique Evening Parade, featuring all enlisted Marines and honoring Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer, highlights the Corps’ trust in its noncommissioned officers to execute with precision and professionalism.

The Marines of Marine Barracks Washington train to exceptional standards of professionalism and precision to honorably represent the Marines stationed and deployed throughout the world at parades, ceremonies, and funerals. This week’s Evening Parade is unique because it features all enlisted Marines – especially staff noncommissioned officers – who take charge and fill every billet, including billets characteristically held by officers.

“The enlisted-led Evening Parade exemplifies the Corps’ trust in its SNCOs and NCOs to accomplish the mission,” explained Sgt. Maj. Jimmy F. Richard Jr., sergeant major of Marine Barracks Washington and native of Fontana, California. “It provides the opportunity to showcase the professionalism, capabilities, discipline, and spirit of our enlisted Marines.”

The present-day Evening Parade, which was first conducted on July 5, 1957, features performances by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, “The Commandant’s Own” United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps, and the esteemed United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon.

“The enlisted-led Evening Parade is a proud tradition highlighting staff noncommissioned officers’ critical role in the Marine Corps,” added Staff Sgt. Anthony Havens, platoon sergeant of the Silent Drill Platoon and native of West Liberty, Kentucky. “The ‘Next Marine Up’ mentality, where noncommissioned officers pick up whatever the engagement may be and continue to execute to ensure a win, is embodied in this parade.”

Capt. Gregory Jones, Silent Drill platoon commander, emphasized the importance of Staff Sgt. Havens’ role: “As an infantry unit leader, Staff Sgt. Havens oversees the training and discipline of the Silent Drill Platoon focusing on both ceremonial excellence and infantry skills required of all Marines. As the senior enlisted advisor to the platoon commander, he advises me on the proper employment of the platoon while simultaneously supervising the health and wellness of all the Marines under his charge.”

Richard elaborated on the role of staff noncommissioned officers: “Staff noncommissioned officers are the connective tissue that help keep the organization running smoothly. They are keepers of customs, courtesies, and tradition. Their experience and commitment to the organization, and to those they serve enable them to be the premier mentors and teachers. They are the vital link between officers and junior enlisted.”

Richard is currently serving his second tour at Marine Barracks Washington and provides a unique perspective on the enlisted-led Evening Parade. During his initial assignment at the “Oldest Post of the Corps” he served as the first sergeant for Alpha Company.

“During my first tour, my role in the enlisted-led Evening Parade was to perform my duties in a manner that proudly represents the enlisted Marine,” added Richard. “My commitment to excellence and mission success existed however I lacked greater perspective. Now, as the MBW Sergeant Major, my level of engagement, support, and dedication both internal and external to the unit must be exceptional. I now have a greater responsibility to the Corps and to the public to ensure that they see that the enlisted Marine today is just as good as those outstanding Marines of the past.”

Join Marine Barracks Washington for the parade on July 26 at 8:45 p.m. to witness this extraordinary event and honor the commitment and courage of United States Marines.

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Source: United States Marines

WASHINGTON, D.C. —

Good morning everyone! Lieutenant General Olson, thank you for inviting me to be a part of this morning’s ceremony to celebrate 248 years of service to our nation by our Marine Corps.

While General Smith could not join us, he remains in our thoughts and prayers as we continue to wish for his speedy recovery. I can tell you he is eager to get back to work advocating for our Marines and their families stationed around the globe.

Lieutenant General Shutler, Major General Cox, Major General Lake, Major General Hartsell, Colonel Barnum, thank you, gentlemen, for joining us this morning, and for your decades of service to the Corps, and to our nation.

Finally, I would like to extend a special thanks to all of our Marines, past and present, who are here with us today to mark another birthday of the United States Marine Corps.

Our gathering place this morning—the United States Marine Corps War Memorial—is indeed a very special to me. It is where I took my oath of office as the 78th Secretary of the Navy. It is the spot where I promote the Marines assigned to my immediate staff.

Most of all, it is a poignant reminder of the strength, the courage, the loyalty, and the love for country that has defined the service of every Marine since November 10th, 1775.

While this memorial depicts the flag raising at Mount Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima, the names and dates of wars fought by our Marines are inscribed on its base, and that list is not short.

Since the founding of our nation, “From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli,” from island hopping in the Pacific and the battlefields of Europe during World War II, from the mountains of Korea to the jungles of Vietnam, from the deserts of Iraq to the rough terrain of Afghanistan, our Marine Corps has always been “first to fight for right and freedom.”

Time and time again, our Marines have stood up to tyranny, to terrorism, and to oppressive regimes, defending the rights of millions of men, women, and children around the world.

Three weeks ago, I was in Jacksonville, North Carolina for a memorial ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary of the Beirut Bombing, an act of terrorism that took the lives of 241 Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers. I had the privilege of meeting with the Gold Star Families and Veterans of Battalion Landing Team 1-8—the unit that bore the brunt of the casualties—and listened to their stories about those Marines and Sailors we lost.

During that same trip, I was afforded the opportunity to meet with the Marines and Sailors of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which includes Battalion Landing Team 1-8, “The Beirut Battalion.”

These men and women—Marines and Sailors—are preparing to deploy into a world marked by active conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, at a time when the rules-based international order that has underpinned the relative stability and prosperity of the last eighty years is being challenged by China, Russia, North Korea, and others.

While the Marines of the 24th MEU are equipped, trained, and dressed differently than those first two battalions raised by the Continental Congress in 1775, their ethos, their esprit de corps, and their love of country remains the same.

Now, more than ever, our Nation needs a strong Marine Corps to deter our adversaries around the globe, and if necessary, prevail in conflict.

And I have no doubt that our Marines today are ready to successfully execute every mission they are given, just as they have always done for the last 248 years.

May God continue to watch over our Marine Corps, our Veterans, their families, and the families of those Marines our nation has lost, but will never forget.

Semper Fidelis.
 

Source: United States Marines

HEADQUARTERS, MARINE CORPS —

Lieutenant General Christopher J. Mahoney was promoted to the rank of General today and sworn-in as the 37th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro at a small ceremony in the Pentagon.

General Mahoney most recently served as Deputy Commandant, Programs and Resources, a billet he held from September 2021 to November 2023. He is a native of South Weymouth, Massachusetts and was commissioned in 1987. He is a graduate of Navy Fighter Weapons School—better known as TOPGUN—and has over 5000 hours of flight time in the A-6, F-5, F-18, and F-35 aviation platforms. He has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels.

“I am excited to have General Mahoney as the 37th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps,” said Secretary Del Toro. “He has experience with our pacing threat in the Indo-Pacific and is a combat veteran. He is the right leader to continue our efforts to prepare the Marine Corps for future battlefields through Force Design. I am thankful that he and his family will continue to serve our grateful Nation.” 

Due to the current hospitalization of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, as Assistant Commandant, General Mahoney will also be performing the duties of Commandant of the Marine Corps pursuant to 10 U.S. Code § 8044.