On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
ema
Before I fell in with the Balloon Juice crowd, I led a normal life.
I would see sailors in Midtown, note in passing that it’s Fleet Week, and go about my business. Now, I attend official NYC Fleet Week events in Times Square with a press pass, and get pushed around by professional photographers. A brief aside, what is it with these people and being pushy? I understand that, unlike me, they have to take good pictures to make a living but, still, there is never a good excuse to be rude.
And speaking of being rude, wait till you hear what happened at the USMC Band and Silent Drill Platoon event I attended. On with the show:
(all links are to YouTube videos)
When you think of Marines in dress uniform, you think prim and proper. One performance by the USMC Band (51s) was anything but. Everybody, from the conductor to the musicians, was quite dancy. I didn’t realize that Marines are allowed to be that expressive during official duties. It was an enjoyable surprise.
This is a group of Marine veterans being honored at the event. This was my first time attending, so I don’t know if this happens every year. Regardless, I thought it was a very nice gesture.
These are the Marines singing their hymn “From the Halls of Montezuma” (45s) a cappella. Their voices filled Times Square; it was impressive.
This a general (right) and the sergeant major of the Marine Corps (SMMC).
The general had the highest rank at the event, but the SMMC was running the show. He kept giving orders, telling everybody, including the general, where to go and what to do, and he even yelled out orders while the Marines were signing their song. (You can hear him yell in the short linked at #3). I mean, dude, relax, let the soldiers enjoy the moment, it’s a celebration after all.
But wait, there’s more…
A young Marine was honored with a medal for saving someone from drowning.
The SMMC reads the award letter, assists the general with the medal ceremony and, at the end, and I’m not exaggerating (I filmed it but didn’t think it appropriate to post), tells the poor, newly decorated, Marine to get lost, there’s been too much attention paid to him already.
I think the SMMC was joking but, still, rude!
These are the Navy divers (11s), Zach and Lt. Something, delighting New Yorkers with a game of aquatic tic-tac-toe.
This is the Navy Ceremonial Guard*, my absolute favorite.
While the USMC Silent Drill Platoon (6:57 min) show was nice, it was very restrained compared to the Navy’s. These people were throwing around their rifles tipped with bayonets with abandon. And speaking of that …
*Navy Guard sailor warming up (17s)
Navy Guard full performance (4:17 min)
At one point in the show an uncouth audience member sneezed loudly, broke the concentration of one of the soldiers, and he dropped his rifle. And then something unexpected happened.
The soldier didn’t bend down to retrieve his rifle and continue. He, and his colleagues, stood still, and an official picker-upper, who had been sitting at the ready off to the side, unnoticed (at least by me), approached the group. He handed the soldier a new rifle, picked up the old one, and left, all in a very formal and choreographed manner.
Very interesting.
This is the captain of one of the ships taking part in Fleet Week. And how do I know that? Because he kept saying “This is your Captain!” while filming himself being a prop in the performance to showcase his bravery for his crew (wild speculation as to motive on my part, of course).
[Same routine as the one the captain took part in but with a much better protagonist – a brave sailor (22s) up for the challenge, with a most expressive face.]
Finally, we have the mystery twirler. (8s)
She was wearing regular clothes, so I don’t know if she’s military or not, but I do have a theory. I think she might be either a Navy Ceremonial Guard or a USMC Silent Drill team member on leave. Why? Because she was clearly friends with the soldier who gave her the rifle, and she knew how to twirl it.
I did call the Navy asking for the Ceremonial Guard’s number to investigate, but no number for me. They said they’ll reach out to them and get back to me. Still waiting, but I would really like to know who she is so I can credit her.
OzarkHillbilly
Ummmm… There are no soldiers in the Navy. ;-)
As for the Marines, whad’ya expect? They’re Marines.
Ramalama
This was a fun read, Thanks.
raven
Great stuff, check out the USMC New Orleans Reserve Band at Mardi Gras!
Also, the hated NYT had a great article about military bands and how the military is the largest employer of musicians in the world (gift link). My neighbor was in the Ft Gordon, GA band and, from time-time, I’ll see him in his full Highlander outfit going to events.
HinTN
@OzarkHillbilly: You curmudgeon. Correct, as usual but still, blech.😎
raven
This was my DI in basic at Ft Campbell, KY in 1966. He was the originator of the US Army Europe Drill Team and on strack trooper!
raven
@HinTN: It was the first thing I thought! Athens used to house the US Navy Supply Corps School and, one day, I was in a coffee shop and an officer came in in his dress whites and the young lady at the counter said “I love a soldier in uniform”. He just smiled!
Baud
@raven:
Straight from central casting.
raven
@Baud: Sorry , it was the Berlin Honor Guard!
OzarkHillbilly
@HinTN: I know, but I just couldn’t resist.
lowtechcyclist
@OzarkHillbilly:
Which raises the question, what is the generic term for ‘someone in the US Navy’?
I hope it isn’t ‘sailor’ because I assume the Navy has loads of people who couldn’t distinguish between a sheet and a halyard.
Also, what’s the generic term for ‘someone in the US military’? If it isn’t ‘soldier,’ then what is it?
Dorothy A. Winsor
Great post!
Anyway
Love it! I watched the YT as well – above and beyond, ema! =)
Trivia Man
Conspiracy theory: the “drop” was part of the show. You even said it was the best part!
Kristine
A handy guide to who gets called what in the US military branches.
Yup. Navy=sailor.
ema
@OzarkHillbilly:
Noted. What is the correct term for “military person”?
ema
@Ramalama:
Thank you.
ema
@raven:
That was great, thank you. My band was restrained compared to those Marines.
ema
@raven:
I did wonder who came up with the drill team idea and who does their choreography.
ema
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Thank you!
ema
@Anyway:
Thank you, one tries!
ema
@Trivia Man:
Ha, now it all makes sense!
ema
@Kristine:
Interesting, thank you.
regulon
@ema:
Generic is military service member.
lowtechcyclist
@regulon:
Gonna go with ‘soldier’ then, even if it’s wrong.
RobertS
@raven: I recently met somebody who had an entire career as a navy musician. He started out playing the trombone, and went on to teach composition. He sounded pretty happy with his choice.
WaterGirl
This was great, ema. You outdid yourself on this one! :-)
raven
@RobertS: It’s a living!
Kirk
@ema: believe it or not, it was soldiers and sailors showboating their standard duties. As a parallel example consider rodeos.
The purposes of showboating varied. If you’re mercenaries you’re advertising and showing how skilled you are. If you’re regular you’re putting the other unit in it’s place.
It’s all derived from formation marching and inspection of weapons. Just done with style.
ema
@regulon:
Got it, thank you.
ema
@WaterGirl:
Thank you, practice makes perfect.
ema
@Kirk:
Very interesting, thank you. The Marines did have a routine, super choreographed, of course, about weapons inspection in their drill.
cope
What a fun story and set of pictures, thank you.
In the mid ’60s, circumstances put me in a situation where I was able to watch a drill team competition. I think the teams were from various ROTC programs in the midwest. It was held in the newly opened Arena at the University of Illinois. The memory that remains most vivid is of a comedy team in which one of the members did the exact opposite of all the others. When the order, for example, was “Right Face”, he would face left. This left him following his own path around the stage while his group carried on in perfect formation. At the very end as they were headed off stage, the lone straggler follows a path that puts him right back in his original position within the group.
Totally unrelated to that but related to young women expertly twirling a rifle, my daughter was a member of her HS Marching Band Flag Corps and was quite adept at spinning rifles, batons, flags on poles and such. Your picture brings back memories of her competing and entertaining so thanks again.
Kent
Marine bands are a recruiting tool. Not some ceremonial anachronism like the Vatican’s Swiss Guard.
So whatever gets the kids these days interested and impressed with the Marines is all good.
Kayla Rudbek
@ema: probably “warfighter” which I see on a lot of work and/or Pentagon materials. It makes me twitch every time, but I suppose it’s shorter and more inclusive than “soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines” not to mention that we have Space Force now…
Torrey
A really excellent morning read! Thank you for presenting and curating it. I’ve seen the Marines’ Silent Drill Team a few times, and I know about the Naval Academy’s Jolly Rogers, but those are people going into the service as officers, and the sailors in the Navy silent drill are clearly enlisted. Their routine was the most amazing of the bunch. Dare I say they left the Marines in the shade?* Not very much shade–the Marines were their usual impeccable selves–but dang, those sailors were breathtaking. Go Navy!
Following up to Kirk’s comment at #28, I understand that a lot of the traditional men’s dances in Europe were not merely for building solidarity–and they’re pretty good workouts, as well–but were also for military recruiting.
_____
*Nah, I probably don’t. There are almost certainly some Marines amongst us, and it is never wise to annoy a Marine.
(Minor editing added for clarification.)
Bupalos
Just seeing from normie media that the wingers got some Biden senior moment video out of this event.
It…. doesn’t look great.
Tony G
@OzarkHillbilly: That’s pretty funny. I have zero military experience (a little bit too young to be drafted for Vietnam, I had no interest in volunteering afterwards) but my experience with ex-Marines is that they are a very different crew. My jobs (I.T.) usually included a lot of ex-military veterans, but the ex-Marines were different from the others. Former Army, Navy, Air Force guys might briefly mention their experience, but then go about their day. The ex-Marines just never seemed to shut up. If there were two or more of them in the same room they’d tell stories about their psychotic drill instructors or other exploits, trying to top each other. They all had a good sense of humor, so it was pretty funny for me. One guy told me that the true meaning of U.S.M.C. was “U Signed the Mother**ing Contract”.
hw3
In college — many many moons ago — I once had the opportunity to join the press on the football field to try and photograph a game for our student newspaper. The professional photogs were just as rude then.
My answer at the time was to stand my ground as one tried to push me off my spot and say “What great equipment! Be a shame if something happened to it.”
They all left me alone for the rest of the game. Sometimes you have to speak their language.
JustRuss
Dancin’ Marines?! The Woke got to them too!
Ruckus
@lowtechcyclist:
As a Navy vet I can tell you it is sailor.
And if you say there are no sails in the Navy that may be true. However, my department had electronic equipment up the mast and out on the ends of the yardarm. I have been quite a ways up the mast of a US Navel vessel to adjust and repair electronic equipment on more than one occasion. And the yardarm is located way the hell up the mast and the ends of the yardarm are at the widest point of the ship, a long way up the mast and the only thing that protected me from falling was a rope that I TIED around me and around the yardarm. Had I fallen the risk of death was rather high. I could land on the vertical poles holding up the lifeline, or I could go overboard and likely not recovered unless I landed in the best dive position I’ve ever done and then hopefully they could find me to rescue me – oh did I mention that this time we were out at sea? It might not have been as dangerous as being a Marine or an Army member in Vietnam, but dying was a real possibility. I had to go out to our equipment on both sides of the ship, about 75 feet off the deck. Good times. My buddy was a Marine stationed in Vietnam and none of his stories had this level of risk. Of course he could type so they made him a clerk, with an M16. He was stationed on an airbase.
John Revolta
There’s a beautiful bit of synchronicity in the first clip, with the dancers in the “Chicago” video upper left dancing along with the band!