Marines Drop In On Walt Whitman High School In South Huntington

SOUTH HUNTINGTON, NY — The United States Marine Corps dropped in on Walt Whitman High School in a big way on May 22 as part of a special exhibition heading into the Memorial Day weekend and celebrating Fleet Week, the school district announced.

Students in the 11th and 12th grades, teachers, community members, and veterans were invited to the athletic field to learn more about who the Marines are and what they can do.

Major Denny Graziosi, the commanding officer for Recruiting Station New York, said the Marine Corps is always looking for the "best and brightest."

"We like to go into schools and just present the opportunities and the benefits the Marine Corps has and see who's interested," Graziosi said in a news release. "So doing events like this allows them to see what the Marine Corps is and who we are. To talk with us, and then also maybe dispel some of the rumors about what the military is. We want to work with our communities, work with our schools."

The exhibition started with the precision skills of the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon. The platoon is known for its ability to execute a precision drill sequence without any verbal cadences or commands. The display culminated with a sequence of rifle inspections, showcasing intricate rifle spins and tosses.

"Since the unit was founded in 1948, those who have served in this storied platoon have performed with the utmost precision and discipline at parades and ceremonies throughout the world, so the South Huntington community was very privileged to get to see it right in their own backyard," the school district wrote.

After the reserve of the Silent Drill, it was time to make some noise as the Marine Corps Band took to the field. After a more traditional sedate musical selection, the brass and percussion sections amped up the energy, broke off from the rest of the band, headed for the front track and treated the audience to a couple of very animated, high-energy jazz numbers — complete with saxophone, trumpet, trombone and even tuba solos — that got the students in the stands moving.

All eyes then turned to the clear blue skies as chopper blades cut through the air and two military helicopters came into view before coming in for a spectacular landing on the front field. After the two helicopters — a SuperCobra and a Huey — touched down and the rotor blades stopped, students poured onto the field as they were invited over to get a closer look at the military aircraft and speak with the pilots. There were lots of questions, lots of photos and lots of selfies.

The potential for this special visit developed in March when four South Huntington educators —Supervisor of Guidance Corey Blair, Maplewood Principal Dr. William Hender, and teachers James Tomeo and Karissa Tomeo — attended the Marines Educators Workshop on Parris Island in South Carolina where they experienced four days of typical recruit boot camp training, which included getting up every day at 5:30 a.m.

With the exhibition taking place right before the Memorial Day weekend, it was a very visual reminder for students of what it means to serve.

"That's absolutely a part of this," Graziano said. "And we want to pay respects to those that have gone before us and that's very important to us, especially in the Marine Corps. So we're glad we're here to do that today with the students."