Canyon Country, Calif.-native bound for Marine special forces

Photo By Cpl. Jeremy Ware | Cpl. Oscar Franquez Jr. and Lance Cpl. Jason Wynn, members of the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon inspection team, warm up before a performance at Marine Week 2011 in St. Louis, June 25. The platoon traveled to St. Louis to perform two shows, one under the Gateway Arch and another during the closing ceremonies for Marine Week.  

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES

11.01.2011

Story by Cpl. Dengrier Baez 

Marine Barracks Washington

WASHINGTON -- A Canyon Country, Calif.-native was accepted for the assessment and selection process for indoctrination into the United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command recently.

Sgt. Oscar Franquez Jr., 22, son of Sonia and Oscar Franquez Sr., who are pastors in the Cellular Church of the Santa Clarita Valley, is slated to leave Marine Barracks Washington in January to report to his unit at Camp Lejeune, N.C., where the Marine Corps’ special operations command is located.

MARSOC is the Marine Corps component of the U.S. Special Operations Command. Its core capabilities are direct action, special reconnaissance and foreign internal defense. Also, the command has been directed to conduct counter-terrorism and unconventional warfare.

While at the Barracks, Franquez served as the platoon guide and the second rifle inspector for the Silent Drill Platoon.

“I feel I grew up here at the Barracks,” said Franquez, who graduated from Bowlman High School in 2007. “The whole experience here was overwhelming and definitely humbling.”

The SDP performs at every Evening and Sunset Parade, held from late April until late August in Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va., as well as at professional sporting events and ceremonies nationally and abroad.

The rifle inspector is responsible, in part, for the training of the platoon, and is prominently featured during the platoon’s performances. During the platoon’s routine, the Marines stand in a single file line and perform several complicated maneuvers with M1 Garand rifles. The rifle inspector walks down the line inspecting members of the platoon and performing some of the most complicated movements of the performance with them.

Franquez was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his superlative service at the Barracks, Nov. 8.

He relinquished his position as the second rifle inspector and platoon guide in the Marine Corps’ Silent Drill Platoon, Sept. 30, and was promoted to his current rank, Nov. 1.

“Being a new sergeant and going to a new unit means I have to step up to the challenge,” said Franquez. “It’s all about waking up every day and being a professional.”

The SDP is featured in many Marine Corps recruiting advertisements, including posters and commercials, and performs at scores of events for thousands of spectators annually.

• Date Taken: 11.01.2011
• Date Posted: 11.14.2011 10:11
• Story ID: 80016
• Location: WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US