Marine Corps reenlistments are a time-honored tradition that symbolize a renewed commitment to serving both the nation and the Corps. With it comes a public reaffirmation of the Marine’s oath of enlistment, a solemn promise to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.
The ceremony is often tailored to the Marine reenlisting, and for the most part, where the ceremony takes place is up to the service member. Most Marines play it safe and will host their ceremony near headquarters or somewhere on level ground that’s easily accessible.
Every once in a while, however, a wild card is thrown in the mix, and a Marine will ask to reenlist in the on-base Raising Canes, frigid ocean waters or a murky pond on base.
Two Marines assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 271, based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, opted to do just that when they reenlisted in July.
Cpl. Jarrett Cadd and Cpl. Matthew Stone, both water support technicians, chose to wade into swampy and questionable waters so the two Devil Dogs could take their oath of enlistment, surrounded by a few willing team players.
“It is always significant when a Marine raises their right hand and voluntarily pledges to serve another four years for their Corps and country,” Gunnery Sgt. Kaleb A. Skaggs, MWSS-271 utilities operations chief, said in a statement.
According to the Military Occupational Specialties Manual, water support technicians, or MOS 1171, “install, operate, inspect, and perform preventive and corrective maintenance on pumps, water purification equipment, water storage/distribution systems, and laundry and shower facilities.”
A video posted to social media shows 18 fellow Marines joining the corporals in the pond, with some almost completely submerged in the water. The choice to reenlist in a murky pond was symbolic to the Marines because of how it correlates to their MOS, Skaggs said.
“A reenlistment in the very water they train in holds deeper meaning for a 1171,” Skaggs said. “Their decision to reenlist while standing in murky water is symbolic: This is exactly the kind of environment they are trained to transform to support their fellow Marines. There’s no place more fitting to reaffirm their commitment.”
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