United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon

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History

The Silent Drill Platoon first performed in 1948, originally as a one-time show, and received such an overwhelming response that it soon became part of the routine parades at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.

Drill Movements

The Marines execute a series of calculated drill movements and precise handling of their hand-polished 10.5lb M1 Garand rifles with fixed bayonets. The routine concludes with a unique rifle inspection involving elaborate rifle spins and tosses. All drill movements are done with superfluous spins of the rifle, making the Silent Drill Platoon's drill unique from other USMC units' drill movements.

Selection and training

These Marines are individually selected from the Schools of Infantry located in Camp Pendleton, California, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, from interviews conducted by barracks personnel. Once selected, Marines are assigned to Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., to serve a two-year ceremonial tour. Beyond their ceremonial duties, the Marines collaterally train in the field as infantrymen. Throughout the year, these Marines hone their infantry skills at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia and other bases.

Experienced members of the Silent Drill Platoon have the opportunity to audition to become rifle inspectors. They must go through inspection tryouts graded by rifle inspectors of the previous year. Only two Marines who audition will become rifle inspectors.

Once the year's Silent Drill Platoon members are selected, they begin their training at Marine Barracks, Washington D.C., and continue to train at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona. They continually work on perfecting their routine year-round.

Throughout the year, they perform at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., and at numerous events across the United States, and also represent the USMC abroad.

References

:"This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Marine Corps."
* cite web|url=http://www.mbw.usmc.mil/sdpdefault.asp
title=Silent Drill Platoon
publisher=United States Marine Corps

External links

*cite web|accessdate=2007-06-06
url=http://www.marines.com/page/usmc.jsp?pageId=/page/Detail-XML-Conversion.jsp?pageName=Silent-Drill&flashRedirect=true
title=Silent Drill: Without a Word
format=online video
publisher=United States Marine Corps
* [http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7416d6b0ea&c=1 LiveLeak.com: Marines of the Silent Drill Platoon perform in Canada]