Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.

The buildings at the Marine Barracks are some of the oldest in Washington, D.C. In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson and Lieutenant Colonel William Ward Burrows, the commandant of the Marine Corps, rode horses about the new capital to find a place suitable for the Marines near the Washington Navy Yard. and hired architect George Hadfield to design the barracks and the Commandant's House. When the British burned Washington during the War of 1812, they also captured the Marine barracks. It is traditionally held within the Marine Corps that, out of respect for the brave showing of the Marines at the Battle of Bladensburg, the British refrained from burning the barracks and the Commandant's House. and 9th & G Streets S.E., was entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and was then designated a National Historic Landmark by the Department of the Interior in 1976. 8th and I has been the home of the Silent Drill Platoon and the Marine Band since the barracks' establishment in 1801 and the residence of the commandant since 1806 when the Commandant's House was completed. The Commandant's House is the only original building left in the complex, the remainder having been rebuilt in 1900 and 1907, While traditionally known as the "oldest post in the Corps", Marines did serve at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston a year earlier, though they did not have a permanent detachment until 1805 nor a barracks until 1810, and it was vacated in 1974. though it is disputed if it occurred before one at Samuel Nicholas' family tavern, the . During the early days of the Civil War and prior to Lincoln's mobilization, the barracks housed about 300 to 400 marines. ==Units==

• Headquarters and Service Company • Marine Corps Enlisted Aide Program • Ceremonial Company A • 1st Platoon • 2nd Platoon • Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon • United States Marine Corps Color Guard • Ceremonial Company B • 1st Platoon • 2nd Platoon • 3rd Platoon • Marine Corps Body Bearers • Guard Company • Marines serving the White House Communications Agency • Security Company • United States Marine Band • United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps • Marines of the United States Naval Academy ==Duties==

• Funeral escort for Marines and dignitaries. • Ceremonial honor guard for state functions. • Security forces for Camp David and the White House Communications Agency. • Parades: • Friday Evening Parade • Tuesday Sunset Parade at the Iwo Jima Memorial • Training to maintain MOS proficiency and emergency preparedness. at the Friday Evening Parade.The Marines assigned to the D.C. barracks must meet strict height, weight, and background check standards, since they perform in ceremonial parades, funerals, and other ceremonies for presidential and other national dignitaries. During the summer months, a sunset parade is held every Tuesday evening at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Rosslyn, Virginia near Arlington National Cemetery. In addition, an evening parade takes place at the Barracks every Friday evening from late spring until the end of summer. Since 2018, the sunset parade from the Barracks is broadcast on Facebook Live on select dates via the official FB page of the US Marine Corps, weather conditions permitting. ==2018 Housing Complex Fire==

On September 19th, 2018, a senior citizen housing complex directly adjacent to the Marine Barrack's Annex location in southeast D.C., caught fire mid afternoon, prompting an immediate response from Marines and Sailors stationed there. Videos shared to news outlets and social media showcased the quick response from all units stationed at the barracks, with Marines and Sailors assisting with patient movement, assessment, and treatment by local medical personnel and responding EMS services. Of the 190 residents of the complex, all but one were successfully extracted with only 6 patients being sent to local hospitals for minor injuries. One resident, seventy-four year old Raymond Holton, was trapped in his apartment for five days following the fire without electricity or food or water before being found by building engineers contracted to assess damages. President Donald Trump later visited the barracks in November that same year to thank the Marines involved with the response in a private ceremony. ==See also==