LEXINGTON, Va. - A native of Lexington, Va., performed with the Silent Drill Platoon during a halftime show at Virginia Military Institute Oct. 6.
Lance Cpl. Eric D. Mogensen, marcher with the SDP, performed for the first time in front of his parents Eric and Janet Mogensen, owners of the Virginia Safari Park, a drive-thru zoo, in Lexington. The 24-man rifle platoon’s unique precision drill exhibition was performed without verbal cadence and included elaborate rifle spins and tosses.
“I was really excited to march for my family and my hometown for the first time,” Mogensen said. “There was a lot of pressure to go out and give a good performance because of who was in the audience, and we gave Lexington a great show today.”
Mogensen enlisted in the Corps May 2011. He attended recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island before being assigned to Marine Barracks Washington in October 2011. Throughout his career, Mogensen has earned a National Defense Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Medal.
“Today was a lot of fun for me,” Mogensen said. “I got to perform for my parents in my hometown. I’ve waited all year for this show, and the entire platoon helped me show my parents what I do in the Corps.”
Barracks Marines support ceremonial and security missions in the nation’s capital. Each year, the Marines support more than 30 parades and hundreds of ceremonies and functions to include funerals and sporting events across the country and globe while maintaining proficiency in their respective military occupational specialties and meeting their annual Marine Corps training requirements.
Date Taken: | 10.06.2012 |
Date Posted: | 10.12.2012 13:38 |
Story ID: | 96080 |
Location: | LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA, US |
Hometown: | LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA, US |
Web Views: | 152 |
Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Lexington-native performs for his hometown, by Cpl Jeremy Ware, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.