United States Marine Corps Color Guard

Last updated

United States Marine Corps Color Guard
Evening Parade 140620-M-EL431-377.jpg
Members of the USMC Color Guard display the colors during the Friday Evening Parade.
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
BranchFlag of the United States Marine Corps.svg  USMC
Type Color Guard
Size4
Part ofColor Guard Platoon, Ceremonial Company A [1]
Garrison/HQ Marine Barracks Washington
Nickname(s)"The Commandant's Four"
"Parade Four"
Commanders
Color Sergeant of the Marine Corps Sergeant Stephen A. Sexton

The United States Marine Corps Color Guard "The Commandant's Four" is the official color guard of the United States Marine Corps. The guard is responsible for serving as the official representative of the Commandant of the Marine Corps in all Marine ceremonies where the national colors as well as the Battle Color of the Marine Corps are needed. [2] The guard, along with the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and the United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, makes up the Marine Corps Battle Colors Detachment. [3]

Contents

Duties

The four, along with three other squads, make up the Marine Corps Color Guard Platoon, which platoon renders military honors at ceremonies in the National Capital Region and across the United States and forms a Joint Color Guard for ceremonies at The White House and The Pentagon. Members of the color guard are personally selected by the Commanding Officer of Marine Barracks Washington. [4] The Color Sergeant of the Marine Corps heads the unit and is the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James T. Conway</span> United States Marine Corps general

James Terry Conway is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 34th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Among his previous postings were Director of Operations (J-3) on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Commanding General of 1st Marine Division and I Marine Expeditionary Force, taking part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the First Battle of Fallujah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flags of the United States Armed Forces</span> Banners which represent branches of US military forces

The several branches of the United States Armed Forces are represented by flags. Within the U.S. military, various flags fly on various occasions, and on various ships, bases, camps, and military academies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of the United States Marine Corps</span> Flag used to represent the U.S. Marine Corps

The flag of the United States Marine Corps is the flag used to represent the U.S. Marine Corps, as well as its subsidiary units and formations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Nicholas</span> 18th-century American marine and officer

Samuel Nicholas was an American marine and military officer who was the first officer commissioned in the United States Continental Marines and by tradition is considered to be the first Commandant of the Marine Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colour sergeant</span> Military rank

Colour sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer found in several armies and marine corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confederate States Marine Corps</span> Military unit

The Confederate States Marine Corps (CSMC), also referred to as the Confederate States Marines, was a branch of the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. It was established by an act of the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States on March 16, 1861. The Corps' manpower was initially authorized at 46 officers and 944 enlisted men, and was increased on September 24, 1862, to 1,026 enlisted men. The organization of the Corps began at Montgomery, Alabama, and was completed at Richmond, Virginia, when the capital of the Confederate States was moved to that location. The headquarters and main training facilities remained in Richmond throughout the war, located at Camp Beall on Drewry's Bluff and at the Gosport Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia. The last Marine unit surrendered to the Union army on April 9, 1865, with the Confederacy itself capitulating a month later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exhibition drill</span>

Exhibition drill is a variant of drill that involves complex marching sequences which usually deviate from drill used in the course of ordinary parades. Teams performing exhibition drill are often affiliated with military units, but the scope of exhibition drill is not limited to military drill teams. Exhibition drill is often performed by Armed Forces Precision Drill Teams, the drill teams at service academies and ROTC and JROTC units, and civilian drill teams that perform at parades, drill meets, and half-time shows and other public venues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)</span> United States Army combat formation

The 3rd United States Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army. It currently has three active battalions, and is readily identified by its nickname, The Old Guard, as well as Escort to the President. The regimental motto is Noli Me Tangere. The regiment is a major unit of the Military District of Washington (MDW). The 3rd Infantry is the oldest regiment still active in the Regular Army, having been first organized as the First American Regiment in 1784. It has been the official ceremonial unit of the U.S. Army since 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Marine Band</span> Premier band of the United States Marine Corps

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps</span> Military unit

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 active duty drum and bugle corps in the United States Armed Forces. One of many United States military bands, the United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps usually consists of about 70 active-duty Marines dressed in ceremonial red and white uniforms. The D&B performs martial and popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.</span> US Marine Corps base in Washington, D.C.

Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. is located at the corner of 8th and I streets, Southeast in Washington, D.C. Established in 1801, it is a National Historic Landmark, the oldest post in the United States Marine Corps, the official residence of the Commandant of the Marine Corps since 1806, and the main ceremonial grounds of the Corps. It is home to the U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and the U.S. Marine Band. Barracks Marines conduct ceremonial missions in and around the National Capital Region as well as abroad. They also provide security at designated locations around Washington, D.C. as necessary, and Barracks officers are part of the White House Social Aide Program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Marine Corps</span> Naval Infantry unit of the Philippine Navy

The Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) is the marine corps of the Philippines, a naval infantry force under the command of the Philippine Navy. The PMC conducts amphibious, expeditionary, and special operations missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald C. Thomas</span> United States Marine Corps general

Gerald Carthrae Thomas was a United States Marine Corps general who served as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1956 with more than 38 years of distinguished service which included duty on four continents, spanning the two World Wars, Haiti, and the Korean War. During World War I, he fought in major offensives, including the Battle of Belleau Wood, and was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Marine Corps</span> Maritime land force service branch of the U.S. military

The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combined arms, implementing its own infantry, artillery, aerial, and special operations forces. The U.S. Marine Corps is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Corps Security Force Regiment</span> United States marine regiment

The Marine Corps Security Force Regiment is a dedicated security and anti-terrorism unit of the United States Marine Corps. It provides security forces to guard high-value naval installations, most notably those containing nuclear vessels and weapons. It also provides Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Teams (FAST) and Recapture Tactics Teams (RTT). Marines who complete Security Forces training are assigned a secondary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) of 8152, while instructors can earn 8153.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain (United States O-3)</span> Military rank of the United States

Captain in the U.S. Army (USA), U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), U.S. Air Force (USAF), and U.S. Space Force (USSF) is a company-grade officer rank, with the pay grade of O-3. It ranks above first lieutenant and below major. It is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the Navy/Coast Guard officer rank system and is different from the higher Navy/Coast Guard rank of captain. The insignia for the rank consists of two silver bars, with slight stylized differences between the Army/Air Force version and the Marine Corps version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combat Logistics Battalion 23</span> Military unit

Combat Logistics Battalion 23(CLB-23) is a Military Logistics Battalion of the United States Marine Corps Reserve. The unit is based out of the New Orleans, Louisiana with Marine Forces Reserve and headquartered in Fort Lewis, WA under the command of the 4th Marine Logistics Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Navy Ceremonial Guard</span> United States Navy unit

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunset Parade</span>

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.

The Color Sergeant of the Marine Corps is a billet in the United States Marine Corps held by a non-commissioned officer posted at Marine Barracks Washington. He is responsible for carrying the official Colors of The United States Marine Corps while leading "The Commandant's Four", members of which are part of the United States Marine Corps Color Guard Platoon.

References