| Friday Evening Parade | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Active |
| Frequency | Weekly during summer |
| Location(s) | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Most recent | 7 August 2020 [1] |
| Next event | To be announced [1] |
| Website | www |
The Friday Evening Parade is a public duty performed by the United States Marine Corps at Marine Barracks Washington. It is executed on Friday evenings during the summer months. The parade's drill is loosely based on the Landing Party Manual .
Marine Barracks Washington ("8th and I") was constructed in 1801 as the headquarters of the U.S. Marine Corps. Among its original features was a grass parade deck near the site where the residence of the Commandant of the Marine Corps would be constructed five years later. [2]
On the eve of the fall of Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812, two Marines from the barracks were assigned to guard the corps' payroll, a chest of gold coins. [3] [4] As fighting in and around the city became increasingly desperate, the sentries buried the payroll and left the barracks to join the defense of the capital. [3] British intelligence learned of the payroll's burial and, when the barracks fell to the British Army, soldiers razed the parade deck in an attempt to locate it. [3] [lower-alpha 1] Following the end of hostilities, the parade deck was restored and resumed its use as a drill field for marines in training; according to Gen. John Admire, due to the defilement of the grounds in 1814 Marines have since "felt a certain sanctity toward the parade deck that borders on religious zeal". [3]
In 1911, U.S. Marine Corps recruit training moved out of the 8th and I barracks and the remnant garrison posted there shifted its focus to ceremonial duties. [5] By 1934, under the direction of Major Lemuel Shepherd, a weekly, afternoon parade based on the drill of the Landing Party Manual [lower-alpha 2] was organized for members of the public during the summer months. [5] A joint, evening drill with the Corps of Royal Marines in 1956 at the Bermuda Searchlight Tattoo convinced Marine officers that moving the afternoon parade to the evening hours – and performing it under spotlights – would provide a more dramatic effect. [5] The change was implemented that year resulting in the creation of the Friday Evening Parade. [5] [7] [8] What was the afternoon parade became the Sunset Parade. [5]
Among early critiques of the Friday Evening Parade was that the barracks lacked salute artillery. In October 1957, Prince Philip – during the state visit of the United Kingdom to the United States – inspected the garrison. Before the visit, guns were procured from Norfolk Navy Yard and temporarily installed near the parade deck to fire a cannonade for Philip's arrival. This marked the first time a 21 gun salute had been fired at the barracks in its history. The guns were retained for use at the Friday Evening Parades and, in 1958, a permanent battery was installed near the parade deck, first fired that year for the visit of Constantine II of Greece. [3]
Though Marine Barracks Washington is only three miles away from the White House, it was not until July 12, 1962, that President of the United States John F. Kennedy became the first American president to visit the barracks since Thomas Jefferson selected the site in 1801. Kennedy viewed the Friday Evening Parade, the resulting press coverage increasing its popularity among Washington residents and tourists. During the presidency of John F. Kennedy the parade was once performed on the White House South Lawn and, during the presidency of Jimmy Carter, at Camp David during the Camp David Accords. [5]
In 2012 Major Sarah Armstrong became the first female Marine to command the Friday Evening Parade in its history.
As of 2018, the Friday Evening Parade, which lasts approximately one hour, occurs at 8:45 p.m. on Friday evenings in June, July, and August.
Participating units include "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, "The Commandant's Own" United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, the U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard, Alpha Company of the 8th and I garrison, Bravo Company of the 8th and I garrison, Marine Corps mascot Chesty XIV, and the Marine Barracks Washington salute artillery. Most Friday Evening Parades have a guest of honor.
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The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in the United States. Today, the Marine Band includes the Marine Chamber Orchestra and Marine Chamber Ensembles.
The United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps is the drum and bugle corps of the United States Marine Corps. The D&B is now the only full-time active duty drum corps in the United States Armed Forces. As one of many United States military bands, the United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps consists of 80 active-duty Marines dressed in ceremonial red and white uniforms. The D&B performs martial and popular music.
Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role.
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A military tattoo is a performance of music or display of armed forces in general. The term comes from the early 17th-century Dutch phrase doe den tap toe, a signal sounded by drummers or trumpeters to instruct innkeepers near military garrisons to stop serving beer and for soldiers to return to their barracks and is unrelated to the Tahitian origins of an ink tattoo.
Major General Charles Heywood was the ninth Commandant of the Marine Corps. He served as an officer for over 45 years and was the first Marine to reach the rank of major general. During Heywood's term as Commandant, the size of the Corps more than tripled, from 2,175 Marines to 7,810 total.
The Marine Military Academy is a private college preparatory academy located in Harlingen, Texas, US, offering a college preparatory curriculum for boys in grades 7–12 plus one year of post-graduate study. The school was founded in 1965. Its traditions and ideals are inspired by the United States Marine Corps (USMC), but the school is not affiliated with the USMC except through its Junior ROTC program.
Orders to Sentry is the official title of a set of rules governing sentry duty in the United States Armed Forces. While any guard posting has rules that may go without saying, these orders are carefully detailed and particularly stressed in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard. Also known as the 11 General Orders, the list is meant to cover any possible scenario a sentry might encounter on duty.
The history of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) begins with the founding of the Continental Marines on 10 November 1775 to conduct ship-to-ship fighting, provide shipboard security and discipline enforcement, and assist in landing forces. Its mission evolved with changing military doctrine and foreign policy of the United States. Owing to the availability of Marine forces at sea, the United States Marine Corps has served in nearly every conflict in United States history. It attained prominence when its theories and practice of amphibious warfare proved prescient, and ultimately formed a cornerstone of U.S. strategy in the Pacific Theater of World War II. By the early 20th century, the Marine Corps would become one of the dominant theorists and practitioners of amphibious warfare. Its ability to rapidly respond on short notice to expeditionary crises has made and continues to make it an important tool for U.S. foreign policy.
The United States Marine Corps (USMC) prescribes several types of military uniform to distinguish its service members from other armed services, depending on the situation.
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United States Marine Corps Recruit Training is a 13-week program, including in & out-processing, of recruit training that each recruit must successfully complete in order to serve in the United States Marine Corps.
The Plain is the parade field at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. The flat terrain of the Plain is in contrast to the varied and hilly terrain of the remainder of the campus. The Plain rises approximately 150 feet (45 m) above the Hudson River and has been the site of the longest continually occupied U.S. Army garrison in America since 1778. In its early years, the entire academy was located on the Plain and it was used for varying activities ranging from drill and mounted cavalry maneuvers to an encampment site for summer training to a sports venue. Currently, the Plain refers to just the parade field where cadets perform ceremonial parades.
The United States Navy Ceremonial Guard is the official ceremonial unit of the United States Navy. It is responsible for the performance of public duties in the U.S. Navy. The guard is composed of 200+ enlisted navy personnel. It is based at Naval District Washington, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C. It is currently led by Commander Alexander McMahon.
The Sunset Parade is a military parade performed by the United States Marine Corps at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It is very loosely based on the Landing Party Manual and is executed on Tuesday evenings in the summer, involving approximately 200 personnel drawn from the garrison of Marine Barracks Washington.
