My Dad Did This Back in the Day

My Dad was in the US Navy during the Vietnam era. Before he was stationed on the USS Sylvania, he was a member of the elite US Navy Drill Team, an honor bestowed to a few lucky men. Well back then it consisted only of men, but since then it has opened up to women. It is a source of pride for him, as well it should be, as it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be selected then make it through the training. Trainees report that they receive only 1-2 hours of sleep per day during training.

I’ve seen pictures and video of the US Navy Drill Team (seen above), but I have never seen them live. We Ozarkians are lucky that the US Navy Drill Team is coming to Branson on Tuesday to help celebrate Veteran’s Day. Incidentally, that is the day after Veteran’s Day. My little family is heading to Branson High School on Tuesday night, 7 p.m. so I can finally have the chance to see what my father so proudly did during his service to the United States.

It is a good chance that there aren’t any other members of the US Navy Drill team within 50 or 100 miles of Branson as those selected are few are far between.

Dad’s drill team was the one who serviced Robert Kennedy’s funeral. The family chose to have family and friends carry Bobby’s casket, so Dad’s team didn’t fold the flag for him, but they were there and ready.