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SAN DIEGO (10/31/2011) - Every day at sunrise, the American
flag is honored and hoisted up flagpoles on U.S. military
installations worldwide.
Marine Band San Diego performs during the morning colors ceremony on
Oct. 7, 2011. Every graduation Friday the band performs during the
ceremony. They play a variety of music for the families to listen to
right before the ceremony begins. The band also plays the national
anthem when it is time to march on the colors. Photo by USMCLance
Cpl. Katalynn M. Thomas
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Every Friday that new Marines graduate aboard Marine Corps Recruit
Depot San Diego, family members and friends are introduced to this
tradition at a special ceremony.
“Every day twice a day it's
been done for as long as the depot has been here,” said Col. Robert
W. Gates, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and the Western
Recruiting Region chief of staff. “We do it every day when we raise
the flag, the formality that we do [at the Friday morning colors
ceremony] is a little bit more pomp and circumstance. It really is a
way to showcase the Marine Corps and welcome families.”
Although morning colors is an everyday event, this ceremony is a
more formal way of honoring our national colors.
“The purpose
of the Morning colors ceremony is to formally raise our nation's
flag in a military ceremony,” said Gates.“It provides us a brief
moment to reflect on its meaning and to also reflect on the millions
of men and women who have worn the cloth of our nation and protected
its shores from our foes since 1776.”
Over 50 depot Marines
participate in this ceremony. Marine Band San Diego plays ceremonial
music and three formations of Marines stand tall, symbolizing the
critical elements needed to transform young men into Marines.
In one formation, Marines from Recruit Training Regiment
represent drill instructors and basic combat skills instructors from
Weapons Field Training Battalion. These Marines are responsible for
training recruits day and night, and teaching them their primary job
as Marines – how to be riflemen. |
Another formation consists of Marines who represent the
Western Recruiting Region. These are recruiters who are
charged with finding the best men and women to be U.S.
Marines, and in many cases were the new Marines' first
contact with the Marine Corps.
The last is of
Headquarters and Service Battalion. They help make sure that
the base runs smoothly, from building upkeep to the military
police who secure the base.
“It really drives home
that no matter what your [military occupational specialty]
is, you are the most well-trained fighting force,” said
Gunnery Sgt. Rickey Gould, operations chief, Headquarters
Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion.
At every
Friday colors ceremony the commanding general, or a
representative, thanks families for giving up one of their
own to the United States Marine Corps.
This ceremony
is an opportunity for the commanding general to get up close
and personal with the families of new Marines, said Gould.
It's a little more intimate than at graduation.
“It
gives the leadership of the depot a chance to address the
families and welcome them to the Marine Corps and thank them
for their support of their sons to become United States
Marines,” said Gates.
Morning and evening colors have
been a tradition since 1843 when the U.S. Navy borrowed the
tradition of morning and evening colors from the British.
According to the Royal Navy National Archives, the present
ceremony of hoisting colors each morning was instituted by
Lord St. Vincent in 1797.
The first mention of a time
regulation for morning colors was in the 1843 Rules and
Regulations for the government of the Navy, if sunset was
after 6 p.m. morning colors would be at 8 a.m. and if sunset
was before six, colors would go at 9 a.m. Since 1876,
morning colors was set at 8 a.m. in all cases.
“The
ceremony has morphed over the years,” said Gould. “It used
to be that the formations were one of officers and one of
staff non-commissioned officers. Having three formations of
different ranks can give families a broader understanding of
what it takes to train these young men in a safe, productive
manner.”
Traditions are a large part of the Marine
Corps, from the ceremonies performed to the nickname “devil
dog.”
“We all come from different walks of life in
the Marine Corps,” said Gates. “The one thing that bonds all
of us as Marines is our history. Your grandfather is my
grandfather, the same goes for everybody in the Marine
Corps.”
This ceremony isn't just about keeping with
traditions; it's about the families of the Marine Corps'
newest Marines.
“The Friday morning colors ceremony
conducted aboard MCRD San Diego provides families with a
brief history of morning colors and educates them on: the
units that constitute the Western Recruiting Region and
Marine Corps Recruit Depot; the Depot Color Guard; and the
MCRD Band,” said Gates. “It also demonstrates to them one of
the many customs the Marine Corps follows that are part of
our military traditions and provides a venue for Depot
leadership to address the families of the graduating Marines
and welcome them to the Marine Corps family.”
Some
family members are already familiar with the military
culture, having children who have already completed recruit
training or being veterans themselves.
“It's watching
the colors march on and listening to the band that really
makes you think about the country and these young men who
are about to embark on a really amazing journey,” said
Michael Hall, Marine veteran and father a newly-graduated
Marine Oct. 7. “In 1975, when I was in the Marine Corps, it
wasn't fashionable to be patriotic. It's great to see that
people are enthusiastic about our boys. This ceremony really
brings back memories for me.”
Whether it's during a
ceremony on graduation Fridays or every day at sunrise and
sunset, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego continues to
uphold its traditions to this day.
“Military
traditions like morning colors are important to the Marine
Corps because they remind us of our past and provide us with
a foundation from which we can continue our legacy,” said
Gates. “Military traditions also enable us to honor those
service members who have gone before us and provide credence
to their actions.”
More photos available in frame below
By USMC Lance Cpl. Katalynn M. Thomas
Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2011
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