A northern Va. police department celebrates 250 years of the Marines with cake and a sword

in-article-vertical-video float right padding-left px width px fundamental media only screen and max-width px in-article-vertical-video float none padding-left px in-article-vertical-video connatix video caption width px crucial tnvbNcaMHUrl margin-bottom px padding px px background D text-align center font-weight bold color fff border-radius px connatix video caption margin-bottom px margin-top font-size px color font-weight text-align left display none This page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker In order to view the video you must disable your ad blocker new Image src https capi connatix com tr si token be c -c - acb-af - a ccca cid c ffed c- - c -b f- c d a cnx cmd push function cnx playerId bc b - b- e d-b b - e mediaId d f e-b - b -bef -cce a d render a f fd c f cd ff ef function renderError playerApi if renderError playerApi typeof playerApi getSize function var size playerApi getSize var captionElements document querySelectorAll connatix video caption var captionElementsArray captionElements captionElementsArray forEach el if el size el style width size width px el style display block Alexandria Police Department celebrates years of the Marines with cake and a sword The U S will turn years old in July but one of its military branches is already celebrating that milestone this month The Alexandria Police Department held a traditional Marine birthday celebration complete with cake and swords Since the Marines have had a specific order on how to celebrate the Corps birthday Of module it involved a traditional birthday cake with a globe and anchor decoration but they cut the cake with a Marine officer s Mameluke sword Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire recounted WTOP I ve never held a sword before So I was I was happy that I was not the person that was cutting the cake I m just really inspired by it being the -year celebration noted Michael Jadoo commandant of the Marine Corps league detachment in Montgomery County Maryland Also looking back on history and how we as evolved as Marines I think it s just really amazing and beautiful Related stories Ship parade kicks off events celebrating years of the US Navy and Marine Corps Virginia residents conquer the Marine Corps Marathon Racers look forward to honoring fallen warriors at the Marine Corps Marathon s Wear Blue Mile The order handed down in from Maj Gen Commandant John Lejeune also prescribes that the youngest Marine present and oldest Marine present share a slice of birthday cake Alexandria police officer and Marine Sgt Maxwell Van Arsdale was the youngest on site In traditional sense it s a passing of knowledge and it s meaning that hey we share and we feast together and I share my experience with you and pass it on he reported Van Arsdale narrated WTOP that it was his seventh Marine Corps birthday and they get better each time The young officer has completed four deployments as a Marine and is transitioning from active-duty arrangement to the reserves Alex Trapero a Marine veteran and -year officer with APD was the eldest Marine at the celebration It s very sentimental for me to have something like this and be recognized to have served in the Marine Corps Trapero noted Around a dozen police officers who are also reservists or veterans were on hand to celebrate and received a special challenge coin from the department Why do so a great number of Devil Dogs a nickname for the Marines go into law enforcement Police Chief McGuire commented it s the calling they have to serve our country Trapero believes it is the structure that law enforcement provides as well as Marine s need to help those in danger We have the courage to be the first one to respond he reported We put our lives on for people that we don t know We respond to any threat Same thing as the Marine Corps Van Arsdale added Source