Our Little Love Story *NOW PUBLISHED ON AMAZON KINDLE!!*

chapter thirty

After breakfast, we were finally headed over to the Depot for the graduation ceremony. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I half expected it to be something like our high school graduation was. Parris Island was breathtaking. I gazed around in wonder at my surroundings. I instantly felt a sense of peace and patriotism, just being on the grounds. 

We walked inside the arena, of sorts, and found seats on the already crowded bleachers. Excited whispers were all around us, and Jared’s parents and I looked around anxiously.

“I hear there’s over six hundred graduates this time,” one man commented to my right.

“That’s incredible!” a woman near him exclaimed. I soaked in everything with wide eyes and open ears. Soon, a loud female voice was heard overhead from the loudspeakers. 

“Graduation will begin in five minutes. Please find a seat if you haven’t already.” 

A hush came over the crowd, as we looked around eagerly, anticipating the arrival of the recruits. I studied the people sitting near me, and the sound of a bugle caught my attention immediately. The sound was low, and grew with intensity. Wow. Whoever was playing that definitely had a set of lungs on them! 

My eyes darted back and forth, trying to figure out where the recruits would be entering from. Finally, I saw a Marine enter in full formal dress from the far side that we were sitting on. It seemed as though we had picked the perfect spot to sit in to watch everything. New Marines followed behind the original three. One I guessed was their instructor, but I wasn’t sure. Another carried the Marine’s flag high and proud, and the third carried the United States flag. I watched, engrossed already. 

New Marines followed suit. They were in many rows of four people. I lost track of counting the rows after thirty-six. There was no way that I would be able to pick Jared out of the crowd. They were all dressed exactly the same: navy pants with a red stripe running down the outside of the leg, black shoes, a tan button up shirt, and brown hats. Even though I couldn’t pick Jared out, I was captivated by the formalness and uniformity of it all. The Marine Corps band played, loud and proud. My foot began tapping along, involuntarily. 

“Please rise for the presentation of our National Anthem,” the same female voice as before came over the loudspeaker again. A warm breeze blew through the air, rustling my hair. Everyone stood in unison, as if we were all in a trance. 

The Marine Corps band begun the National Anthem, and I mouthed the words to the song silently. At the end, we were allowed to be seated. After a couple of short minutes, a man walked to the front of the hundreds of recruits lined up before him. 

“At ease!” he commanded, and the recruits obeyed simultaneously. It was an incredible thing to watch. The man turned around to face the crowd, and saluted. Well, this wasn’t going really at all how our high school graduation had went, I concluded. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to present to you this season’s recruits. Now, officially new members of the United States Marine Corps,” came the woman over the loudspeaker once more. A round of applause and cheers flooded my ears, and I quickly joined in.