The United States Marine Corps Color Guard is unique.
It includes the National Colors, carried by the Color
Sergeant of the Marine Corps and is the only official
Battle Color of the United States Marines.
A
duplicate is maintained in the office of the Commandant
of the Marine Corps in the Pentagon.
The
Battle Colors bear the same fifty-four streamers authorized
for the Marine Corps as a whole. These streamers represent
U.S. and foreign unit awards as well as those periods
of service, expeditions, and campaigns in which the Marine
Corps has participated from the American Revolution to
today. During the Marine Corps' first 150 years, Marines
in the field carried a variety of flags.
It
was not until 18 April 1925 that Marine Corps Order Number
4 designated gold and scarlet as the official colors of
the U.S. Marine Corps. These colors, however, were not
reflected in the official Marine Corps flag until 18 January
1939 when a new design incorporating the new colors was
approved. This design was essentially that of today's
Marine Corps standard, and was the result of a two-year
study concerning the design of a standard Marine Corps
flag, and the units to which such a flag should be issued.
The
fifty-four colored streamers which adorn the Battle Colors
represent the history and accomplishments of the Marine
Corps. The newest streamer to be added to the Battle Colors
is the Iraq Campaign Streamer, awarded for service in
various Iraq operations beginning in 2003.
The
Color Sergeant carries the National Ensign during ceremonies,
the Presidential Color for all White House State
functions and tours and carries the National Ensign with
the Marine Corps Battle Color Detachment. He heads the
Marine Color Guard Section of Company A, Marine Barracks,
Washington, D.C., which performs for parades, ceremonies
and official functions around the United States and abroad.
The
Color Guard section has five teams and often participates
in more than 1,000 ceremonies annually, regularly two
to eight per day.
The Color Sergeant billet is usually a two-year tour open
to sergeants in all Military Occupational Specialties who
meet the 6-foot, 4-inch minimum height requirement, can
obtain a White House Security Clearance and possess the
leadership skills to head the section as its noncommissioned
officer-in-charge.
Though the post
was filled in an unofficial capacity up to that point, official
tracking of the Colors Sergeant began with former Color
Sergeant, Gunnery Sgt. Shelton L. Eakin, who was promoted
to lieutenant meritoriously, and later killed while serving
in Vietnam. A memorial trophy dedicated in his honor bears
the names of Eakin and all Color Sergeants to date, and
is passed to each new Color Sergeant.
