Preparations are underway for Maryland's Fleet Week and Flyover Baltimore
BALTIMORE -- We're just about a week away from Maryland's Fleet Week and Flyover Baltimore.
This event showcases and celebrates all the rich maritime traditions of the Chesapeake Bay. Make sure you keep an eye out for the sea of white uniforms of those in our U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard.
"We are extremely excited to be in Baltimore," said CDR. Alex McMahon.
"This is one of the fun things we get to do in the Navy, be able to travel and sit down with civilians and tell them our experiences and let them know what the Navy's all about," Sr. Chief Erice Rainer said.
The group symbolizes excellence and discipline in the U.S. Navy.
The U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard was established in 1930 and is the official ceremonial unit of the Navy. They take part in some of our nation's most prestigious ceremonies including Presidential inaugurations and arrival ceremonies for foreign officials.
Additionally, the guard serves as the funeral escort and conducts all services for Navy personnel buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
"It's really honorable," Airman Abraham Lidnsey, a U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard member, said.
"We are proud to represent the president, the secretary of the Navy, and the chief of naval operations in all honors and ceremonies as a part of the Navy," McMahon said.
The Navy Ceremonial guard is made up of 200 members from four platoons: drill team, color guard, casket bearers and firing party.
"The level of responsibility and maturity they carry… it's amazing to see these young men and women perform the way they do," Rainer said.
You'll be able to see some of them up close in person along the Inner Harbor at Maryland's Fleet week and Flyover Baltimore event.
"I can't wait to show up and show out and show that the Navy, we're still the strongest," Airman Charles Echols, a U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard drill team member, said.
They'll be demonstrating their precise and calculated exhibition drill performances.
But the job is not for everyone. It takes a special character to hold the position.
"The process is real strenuous. It's a lot of perseverance… mainly just mental discipline," Echols said.
"They put in hours before work, after work nights, and weekends to develop the expertise you'll see," McMahon said.
Members say it's an unforgettable two-year experience they'll cherish for life.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so give it all you got," Lindsey said.
