Marine Returns Home To Perform With Silent Drill Platoon
by U.S. Marine Corps Gregory Gilliam, Recruiting Command March
4,
2023
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Jackson
Acree’s life has come full circle nearly two years after leaving
Alaska for service as a Marine.
 U.S. Marine Corporal Jackson Acree, 21, a native of Palmer, Alaska and member of the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon returned home to Anchorage
on March 2, 2023. The unit is visiting Alaska to perform at various locations around the Anchorage area and during the opening ceremony of the Iditarod.
The visit is part of a joint effort between Marine Barracks Washington and Marine Corps Recruiting Command designed to increase awareness of the Marine Corps and prepare the unit for the upcoming summer parade season at Marine Barracks Washington D.C., the oldest post in the Marine Corps. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gregory Gilliam, Recruiting Command)
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As a boy growing up in
Palmer, the 2020 graduate of Palmer High School played “war” with
his friends in the front yard as his mom used smoke bombs to help
create a more realistic environment for Acree and his friends.
Now, the
21-year-old returns home as the man he once emulated.
Acree
is participating in one of Alaska’s most iconic events as a member
of the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, performing at the
ceremonial start of the 51st running of the Iditarod, March 4, 2023,
in Anchorage.
“I am excited to bring the platoon home to
show the community what we do,” said Acree. “A lot of people out
there don’t understand what it takes to be a Marine and now they get
to see.”
Acree has always had a strong desire to serve his
country, dating back to those early years with his friends. Service
is in his blood, and his family knew he would inevitably follow in
the footsteps of his grandfather, a veteran of the U.S. Navy.
“I always knew he was going to do something in the military,”
said Acree’s mother Michele Acree. “He is so patriotic and big on
family.”
Acree’s path to the Marine Corps was not direct
after graduating high school. Like his firefighter father, Acree’s
initial calling would lead him to serve in his home state. He
pursued a career as a Wildland Firefighter after high school.
 U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Jackson Acree, a native of Palmer, Alaska, and member of the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon,
stands with his parents in Anchorage, Alaska on March 2, 2023. The visit is part of a joint effort between Marine Barracks Washington and Marine Corps Recruiting Command designed to increase awareness of the Marine Corps, and prepare the unit for the upcoming summer parade season at Marine Barracks Washington D.C., the oldest post in the Marine Corps. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Menelik Collins)
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“I pursued firefighting because they offered the opportunity to
be qualified as a firefighter during high school – it was not
something I wanted to pass up,” said Acree, who found himself in his
first active fire fight five days before high school graduation. “I
was surrounded by like-minded, active individuals who all have
inspirational amounts of self-drive to do things greater than
themselves.”
Acree left Alaska for a short stint to fight
fires in Colorado before thoughts of military service started to
resurface. During his time in Colorado, he watched a video of the
Silent Drill Platoon and made the decision to serve in the Corps.
“I knew that I always wanted to join the Marine Corps,” said the
high school wrestling team captain who placed third in the 171-pound
weight class in the Alaska State Wrestling Championships as a
senior. “I was having fun, but I always wanted to join the
military."
He enlisted in January 2021 and shipped to recruit
training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Calif. Following
graduation, he attended follow-on training to become an infantryman
at the Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry-West at Camp
Pendleton, Calif. Acree reported to Marine Barracks Washington,
D.C., where he serves as a member of the Silent Drill Platoon which
is part of the Battle Color Detachment.
“He is a hard
hitter, a fire and forget type of Marine,” said U.S. Marine Capt.
Kelsey Hastings, platoon commander for the Silent Drill Platoon. “He
is one of our fire team leaders, easy to work with and easier to
lead.”
Acree will perform for his second drill
season in 2023. According to Michele, even when he is many miles
away, he keeps the family close during his travels, often talking to
them through video messaging as he tours around the country.
The visit to Alaska is the unofficial beginning of the Marine
Barracks Washington’s (MBW) training tour through the Northwestern
United States.
The tour, a joint effort between MBW and
Marine Corps Recruiting Command, will help increase awareness of the
Marine Corps and prepare the unit for the upcoming summer parade
season at Marine Barracks Washington D.C., the oldest post in the
Marine Corps.
Following their performance in Alaska, Acree
and the Silent Drill Platoon will rejoin the Battle Color Detachment
to perform in Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and, Spokane, Washington.
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