Company, attention!

Ft. Hancock Parade Ground during equipment inspection

The parade ground is one of the most important fixtures of any military post. Here troops drilled, formed for inspection, held morning physical training, and paraded and reviewed for superior military officers and visiting dignitaries. A soldier might receive a medal here in a special ceremony. The photo of tents on the Parade Ground is not a "camp out" but an inspection of soldiers' equipment, from rifles to toiletries. Inspections ensured that a soldier's equipment is in top shape as well as sharpening a soldier's ability to quickly notice when things out of place - a key military skill in wartime. Today, ROTC students from the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) drill on the parade grounds, just up the hill from their campus.