Meet the first female US Marine silent drill platoon commander
Captain Kelsey M Hastings has become the first woman to command the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon.
After initially serving as a Marine Corps field artillery officer, Capt Hastings became the decorated ceremonial unit's first-ever female member before being selected as its 2023 commander.
The 24-member Silent Drill Platoon dates back to the 1940s and is made up of individually selected infantry marines who perform complicated drill routines without the benefit of any spoken commands or cadence.
Based at the Marine Barracks in Washington DC, the platoon performs the historic Friday Evening Parades at the barracks from May to August and Tuesday Sunset Parades at the Marine Corps War Memorial, as well as at hundreds of other events across the US.
The marines execute a series of calculated drill movements and precise handling of their signature 10.5lb M1 Garand rifles with fixed bayonets.
Their routine concludes with a unique rifle inspection sequence demonstrating elaborate rifle spins and tosses.
Each autumn, selection for the Silent Drill Platoon Marines begins with rigourous training at Marine Barracks Washington before moving to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, which culminates with Challenge Day, where the best 24 are chosen.
Capt Hastings said: "It's long days. At silent drill school, we start around 6 or 6:30 a.m. and end just before dinner.
"Even outside of when we're at work, I have some marines who keep on working on their rifle skills, which is just a testament to how phenomenal these junior marines are and how dedicated they are to the platoon and the mission.
"It takes a large amount of time to get these guys to a place that we feel comfortable presenting our performance to people," she added.
For all the hard work, Capt Hastings said that Silent Drill Platoon is an opportunity to "show the world what the Marine Corps is — that we are professionalism and how we care for attention to detail".
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