Parade Rehearsal

Every Friday morning, the Marines conduct a rehearsal of the Evening Parade. Since Carter and Julia will (hopefully) be sleeping through it, we wanted to take them out to watch. They were fascinated. Carter especially was hanging on their every move.....
Julia was intrigued by the music, and decided ti get a closer look.......There is nothing quite like the precision and musicality of the Marine Bands. It touches you at your core, puts a lump in your throat, and the tears just flow. It's patriotism, tradition, and honor at it's finest. And when they lower their horns and sing "Proud to be and American", acapella- their is not a dry eye in the house. These few represent the thousands of American families who sacrifice every day to preserve and defend the freedoms so many in this nation take for granted. They set the standard for honor, loyalty, and courage and make me so proud to be an American. They are the reason my kids and I stand on our front porch and say the pledge of allegiance to the flag and why we pray for the "ooh-rahs" all over the world at night before bed.
By the time they reached their crescendo at the end, Julia wasn't so sure about the volume level....