A Few Very Good Men : Marine Musicians, Drill Team Drum Up Goodwill for Corps

Even the weather was in perfect step as the U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and Silent Drill Platoon demonstrated their precision marching and rifle-handling skills Monday at an annual performance in Orange County.

Several thousand spectators, including hundreds of schoolchildren, gathered under a bright blue sky at the Tustin Marine Corps Helicopter Air Station to watch the elite military units perform the “Battle Color Ceremony.” The hourlong display is designed to convey the tradition, discipline and esprit de corps of the Marines.

Perhaps in deference to the grade school students, the 65-member Drum and Bugle Corps included in its program “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from “The Lion King” hit movie.

But the biggest hit of the morning seemed to be the spinning rifle routine of the Silent Drill Platoon. Audience members gasped in awe as the 24 Marines in dress blues twirled M-1 rifles, with bayonets affixed, in a tight marching formation.

One miscue, it seemed, and the Marines would need to look for another good man.

“The guys with the guns--that was the best part,” said 11-year-old Tammie Le of St. Cecelia Catholic School in Tustin.

“It must of taken a lot of practice to do that,” added classmate Jennifer del Mundo.

“They were amazed,” said Teresa Geary, a parent who accompanied the schoolchildren. “I heard everyone saying, ‘That’s really cool.’ ”

The Drum and Bugle Corps and Silent Drill Platoon represent the Marines at hundreds of ceremonies each year around the country and abroad. Both of the units are assigned to the Marine Corps’ oldest post, the historic Marine Barracks in Washington.

The military band performs a “Music in Motion” program that consists of traditional marches plus contemporary pop and jazz numbers. The band, formed in 1934 and now directed by Col. Truman W. Crawford, regularly performs every Friday in the summer at the Marine Barracks, and in sunset parades at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va.

The Silent Drill Platoon, led by Capt. Bradley D. Baxter, executes a 15-minute routine of intricate rifle-handling moves without shouted commands. Established in 1948, the platoon draws its members from infantry schools at Camp Pendleton and Camp LeJeune in North Carolina.

Toward the conclusion of the ceremony at the Tustin helicopter base, the Marines presented their official battle colors, a flag topped with 49 streamers commemorating campaigns waged by the Marines since 1775.

After appearing in Tustin, the military units performed the Battle Color Ceremony on Monday afternoon at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

Attendance at that event was limited to members of the military, their families and invited guests.