Silent Marine Drill Platoon

This week we were able to film the Silent Marine Drill Platoon at one of their performances. One of the guys in the Platoon is from Tyler, Texas and we were able to interview him and find out what it’s like to be a part of the platoon.

They screen thousands of Marines from all over the country and hand pick men to be a part of Drill Platoon. The men they choose have to be between 5’11 and 6’2 and have a build proportionate to their height. They have to be in top physical shape and only men can be a part of the platoon. The men that are chosen serve a two year “tour”, where they train and perform for two years. They train and practice for up to eight hours a day and they have wash and clean their own uniforms, which they say can take up to two hours (by hand!).

The whole performance was in front of the Iwo Jima memorial and it was a beautiful ceremony. They do tricks with their rifles, including throwing them around and twirling them. The Marine band marches and plays first and then the Silent Drill Platoon performs. There were a lot of people who gathered to watch the performance, including a lot of families with young children.

The Silent Marine Drill Platoon is very disciplined and precise in their every movement. It was really cool to watch after talking to Lance Corporal Seth Capps (from Tyler, Texas) because he gave us insight into their everyday lives. He even let us hold his rifle and see how heavy it actually is. It weighs a little over 10 pounds and it’s actually heavier than I thought it’d be. So watching them twirl the rifles and throw them with ease-was really amazing.

One of the great parts of being a reporter is being able to meet and talk with many different and interesting people that you probably wouldn’t have otherwise met. I really enjoy meeting and talking with new people and for me, that’s one of the best parts of the job.

Only one final week to go in D.C., then I will officially have my Masters and begin the job hunt. It’s scary to think about, but I’m ready to live and work in a new community. I love the idea of immersing myself into a community and reporting the news that’s important to them.

So after this upcoming week-I’ll be off and hopefully you’ll all enjoy my last few reports for KTAB! It’s been a great experience being able to report for KTAB and I’ve really enjoyed every minute of it!