USMC Silent Drill Platoon Video Showcase

The United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon first performed in 1948, originally as a one-time show, and received such an overwhelming response that it soon became part of the routine parades at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.

Drill Movements
The Marines execute a series of calculated drill movements and precise handling of their hand-polished 10 and one-half pound M1 Garand rifles with fixed bayonets. The routine concludes with a unique rifle inspection involving elaborate rifle spins and tosses. All drill movements are done with superfluous spins of the rifle, making the Silent Drill Platoon's drill unique from other USMC units' drill movements.

Selection and training
These Marines are individually selected from the Schools of Infantry located in Camp Pendleton, California, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, from interviews conducted by barracks personnel. Once selected, Marines are assigned to Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., to serve a two-year ceremonial tour. Beyond their ceremonial duties, the Marines collaterally train in the field as infantrymen. Throughout the year, these Marines hone their infantry skills at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia and other bases.

(...from Wikipedia)

Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. is located at 8th and I Streets SE in Washington, D.C. Established in 1801, it is a registered historical site, the oldest post in the United States Marine Corps and home to the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

The buildings at the Marine Barracks are some of the oldest in Washington. When the British burned Washington during the War of 1812, they also captured the barracks of the U.S. Marines, whom they had defeated at the Battle of Bladensburg. It is traditionally held within the Marine Corps that, out of respect for the brave showing of the Marines at Bladensburg, the British refrained from burning the barracks and the Commandant's house.

Square 927, now the block surrounded by 8th & I, and 9th & G Streets S.E., was entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and was then designated a National Historic Landmark by the Department of the Interior in 1976.

8th and I has been the home of the Silent Drill Platoon and the "President's Own" U.S. Marine Band since the barracks' establishment in 1801 and the residence of the Commandant since 1806, when the Commandant's House was completed.

(...from Wikipedia)

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. While administratively under the Department of the Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps is a separate branch of the military, often working closely with U.S. Naval forces for training, transportation, and logistic purposes.

Originally organized as the Continental Marines on November 10, 1775 as naval infantry, the Marine Corps has evolved in its mission with changing military doctrine and American foreign policy. The Marine Corps has served in every American armed conflict including the Revolutionary War. It attained prominence in the 20th century when its theories and practice of amphibious warfare proved prescient and ultimately formed the cornerstone of the Pacific campaign of World War II. By the mid 20th century, the Marine Corps had become the dominant theorist of amphibious warfare.

Its ability to respond rapidly to regional crises has made it, and continues to make it, an important body in the implementation and execution of American foreign policy.

(...from Wikipedia)