Updated: Tuesday April 8, 2008
- A Heart-pumping Glimpse into the Marines’ World
- The Commercial and The Rest of The Story
- America's Marines: The Few, The Proud and You
- Educators Learn What It Takes
- Celebrating New Year's at the Outback Bowl
- Getting More By Giving Back
- Celebrating 232 Years of Tradition
- Changing Lives At 13,000 Feet
- A Great Day to Be a Runner
- Spectacular Views, Unexpected Moments
- A History of Success, and Leadership
- A Show of Support
- Wrangling Marines, and Horses
- History and the Modern Marine
- An Unexpected Homecoming
- Showtime in New York
- Meeting The World At the Birthplace of America
- Freedom and Football
- The Marine Network In Motion
- Starting at the End
posted: Sep 27 2007
POINT JUDITH, RI
An Unexpected Homecoming
America’s Marines came to this rocky coastline for the scenery, and wound up discovering a piece of their history.
Just before sunrise the Marine Corps' Silent Drill Platoon started lining the coastline around historic Point Judith Lighthouse. A few feet away Narragansett resident Bill Lawler looked on with more than a casual interest. This was his SDP, men carrying on the very same traditions he was part of 50 years ago.
“There isn’t a finer group that can demonstrate so well, and without a word, the discipline of the Corps,” the former private first class said. He came to the shoot wearing a black polo from the Marine Barracks Washington, also known as “8th & I”, and home to the Silent Drill Platoon.
As soon at they got a break from the filming, a group of Marines gathered around Bill and quickly fell into discussion about the SDP past and present.
Bill was there in July 1956 when the SDP performed the first Sunset Parade. “It was supposed to be just two performances,” he said. “Last summer I went up for the 50th anniversary of the Sunset Parade. There were 19 of us (original members) there to celebrate what a wonderful tradition it has become.”
Bill was only in the Marines two years, but he’s quick to tell others how powerful the experience has been on his life.
“I had a very successful career,” he said. “But nothing could ever beat how I felt marching down that center walk, hearing the Marine Corps Hymn play.”
He was by no means alone. The Marines had nearly two dozen visitors on hand at sunrise. The lighthouse, first built in 1810, sits on a broad lawn that proved to be the perfect gathering point for veterans, parents of Marines and interested residents.
Amy Alt and John Gale drove 6 hours to from Syracuse, NY, on the recommendation of her son, Sgt. Eric Alt, a Marine at Camp Lejune, N.C., preparing for his second deployment to Iraq. And while it was exciting to see the SDP, she was even more thrilled to spend some time around other folk from the Marines community.
“There’s just something about being around other Marine parents – it doesn’t matter if their kids are deployed, or in boot camp being part of that extended family is so important.”
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