Center House Association
Marine Barracks — Washington, D.C.
The 50th Anniversary Celebration of the First Evening Parade
(Continued)
The First Evening Parade
As parade time approached the evening of July 5, 1957, the Sottile twins (Jim and Vince, of the
2nd plt, CGC) performed the "measured post" at the front gate, and Jim Donovan
moved into position to unfurl the two-star flag of the reviewing officer. Promptly
at 9:00 p.m., "Chesty," the Barracks mascot and his handler appeared, the ship's
bell from the U.S.S. Smedley Butler was sounded with two rapid rings, and Chesty and
his handler crossed the parade deck to begin the parade!
(Photos of the First Evening Parade
courtesy Col. Roy J. Batterton, USMC (Ret.)
The units in the first Evening Parade were as follows (in order of appearance):
Parade Commander and Staff - Lt.Col. Roy J. Batterton, USMC
U. S. Marine Band - M/Sgt (Drum Major) Edmund Demar, USMC
U.S. Marine Drum & Bugle Corps - M/Sgt (Drum Major) Chris Stergiou, USMC
Ceremonial Guard Company - Capt. Robert J. Lyons, USMC
1st Platoon - 1st Lt. J. W. Brown, USMC
4th Platoon - 1st Lt. E. Richard Savoy, USMC
2nd Platoon - 1st Lt. Richard M. Foster,
USMC (performed silent drill)
Marine Corps Institute Company - Captain John W. Haggerty, USMC
1st Platoon - Stephen A. Trimble, USMC
2nd Platoon - 1st Lt. Richard W. Childress, USMC
1st Lt. Thomas J. Lapham, USMC
U.S. Marine Color Guard - Sgt. Glenn S. Tait, USMC
(Color Sergeant of the Marine Corps)
Parade Adjutant Maj. "Bud" Schmid shakes hands with the reviewing officer following
the first Evening Parade. Lt. Col.
Roy Batterton, the parade commander, is shown behind them.
It's a hit!
Primarily due to the countless practices and attention to every detail, the first
Evening Parade went off without a hitch, and the crowd was audible in its appreciation.
From that first night, the Evening Parade became immensely popular, and Friday Sunset Parades became
a thing of the past. Seating had to be increased each week, and requests for reservations
increased exponentially. As proof of its popularity, videocassettes and DVD's of the
parade are available for purchase at
www.goodtogovideo.com
Why was it considered a better military parade than its older "Sunset" counterpart? One need
to look no further to see the dramatic effect that a night-time performance
has on a military unit, as seen here. (Turn up your sound!) If you haven't seen
it, you owe it to yourself to do so. It is the best show in Washington DC, and it
is free.
If you are interested in attending an Evening Parade at the Barracks, you may call
202-433-6060 or obtain a reservation on-line, by
clicking here. The Evening Parade's Effect on the Troops
What were the practical effects of the Evening Parade? These are probably best summed up
by the recent observations one of the NCO's who participated:
"The change from a sunset parade to an evening parade created several
problems. First and foremost, it inconvenienced about 200 Marines, including me.
Instead of being finished at 1930 and going on liberty, we wouldn't be finished until
2230, and this made for a long day, because everything started at the same time, it just
ended later [at that time, all seating was on chairs from the Band Hall, which had to be
set up before the parade and removed and returned to the Band Hall following the parade]. Secondly, a system for lighting the parade field had to be devised. Today,
it is a very sophisticated lighting system, but in 1957 it consisted of flood lights
hanging in the trees by ropes or chains. Many additional rehearsals were required to
perfect the lighting of the various units in the parade . . . more troop inconvenience . . .
no big deal! The lighting, on a warm summer evening, brought a plethora of winged
creatures to feast on our flesh and drink our blood. At times, there were so many bugs
swirling around the lights, it almost looked like it was snowing. At least the mosquitos
feasted on officer blood as well as enlisted blood. This was a small consolation, but it
helped make it bearable. I don't know why, but the bug situation diminished and
eventually it didn't appear to be a problem at all. Lastly, under the lights, any buttons,
buckles or leather that weren't shined became very noticeable. In the afternoon, these
things hadn't been noticeable and we could get away with less preparation.
By 1958, the
evening parade had become one of Washington's leading tourist attractions. The
number of spectators grew quickly, probably due to the cooler evenings and a later
starting time. The chairs from the band hall were replaced with bleachers in order to
accommodate the additional spectators."
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by BT Productions