Marine Corps Parade

[ArchAngel]

Hey ya'll, I was wondering if any of you live near D.C. and are going to the USMC Parade tonight? I was invited by a my friend Lexi's husband who is a Marine, his job is to carry the caskets of the fallen soldiers off the plane, very sad job.

Just wondering if anyone is going, it'd be cool to meet someone from the website!

FYI it's at the Marine Barracks on 8th & I. I'm sure you all know where that is.

[ArchAngel]

Just to let you know, though I'm sure you all have seen it before. The parade was awesome. The best parts were the Silent Drill Team, but I think the coolests ones there were the Body Bearers. The leader of the Body Bearers who the Commandant looks at as "THE" Body Bearer if my friends husband. These guys are frickin HUGE, one of the Lcpls were saying that these are the biggest guys you'll find in the Corps and man they can hold their Bearing, it was incredible!

[SpongeJuan]

What do you mean they are huge? As in huge muscles?

[Grimmy]

They have to be huge. They've got to be able to lift and carry the combined weight of a Marine's body and casket with percision and grace.

I've never been to the Marine Parade. Its one of those things I have got to do before my silly self kicks the bucket tho.

[SpongeJuan]

what do you have to do to go?

[SGRock]

Originally Posted by spongejuan

What do you mean they are huge? As in huge muscles?

Just to give you an idea spongey. One of the tests to qualify is that they carry a barbell with a total of 135 pounds in one hand the length of a basketball court and back without leaning over to compensate for the weight and not drop it.

[ArchAngel]

Sponge to go to the Parade you have to just get tickets for it. I'm not sure where, my friend just got them for us because she's married to the lead Body Bearer. Problem is you're going to have to wait until next year because the Parades only last from May to August every Friday night. It's also in Washington D.C. on 8th and I street.


As for the Body Bearers training, to keep their bearing while at funerals and doing all their operations they train by putting cockroaches on your back. You HAVE to keep a straight face the entire time or else you gotta do it again and again until you finally get it right or else you won't be accepted. That technique is supposedly "secret" but I'm sure most of the Marines here have heard of it.
And it works good! My friends husband (the lead Body Bearer) was at a funeral once last summer when it was Cicada season. He was holding the casket above the grave and a Cicada landed right on his face. Naturally you'd move to knock it off your face but with the training they go through he just sat there and let it crawl over his face. He told me this little girl said to her Mom "Mommy can I go get the bug off his face". I find it pretty amazing how well trained these guys are.

[cincymarsdad]

I have some recent personal experience with this "body bearer" thing. The Marines were not "huge". Marines don't need to be "huge" to get the job done. A cicada is not much after 13 weeks of sand fleas.

I will tell you that every Marine I met during this period, from Lieutenant General to Lance Corporal, was sincerely and genuinely affected by it. The staff sgt in the CACO team told me that "day":

"Sir, there is nothing I wouldn't do for you right now."

The brotherhood of Marines is beyond description. My son tried without success to explain it to me. I guess I have some inkling now. To say a Marine would willingly give his life for a fellow Marine is not just tripe, not some slogan. At the ceremony was a Brigadier and two retired three stars as well as Vulture6 and about 60 other people. Lt. General McCarthy (ret) was commander MarForRes until recently and had been commander 25th Marines back when, as well as commander of one of Vulture's units. He had not remembered it until I reminded him, but he had visited Lima Company at the Marine Corp ball back in November and had "cut the cake" with my son, who was the youngest Marine present at the time. Actually, later it turned out that Chris Dixon was the youngest Marine present. "Dix" was killed on 8 May, 2005 in Haditha when their AAV ran over an IED.

Lima Company has had 23 KIA out of 164 deployed in 5 months. They are still in the field.

I hope my son has some vague notion just how proud of him I was and am.

Section 60 Grave 8205

[ArchAngel]

My friends Husband was at your sons ceremony aswell Cincy, he says he remembers it well since it was recent.