A Special Day Out Kilted

[Leatherneck Donald]

Yesterday I kilted up and went to Quantico, Va. to meet Marine Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt. Dakota Meyer, at a book signing, and then to the National Museum of the Marine Corps to attend the annual Ammo Tech awards ceremony where Dakota was the speaker.

When I walked into The Marine Shop for the signing, he took one look and said, "Now that's what I'm talking about!" He was very interested in the kilt and the Leatherneck Tartan. I think he will soon be getting one.

He was a really nice guy, and it was an honor to meet him.

After grabbing some lunch and checking out a few places in Fredericksburg, we changed and went to the Museum for the awards reception.

As always, my first stop at the Museum is to check out the tree that a bunch of us had dedicated to Sgt. Major Tom Parker, with whom we served in Desert Storm. He was an incredible man, and had more of an impact on my life than any other person to whom I am not related.


We walked around the Museum for a while before the reception, and we always find something new. The kilt brought a number of folks to ask about it. Some where familiar with the Leatherneck Tartan, others not so much, but all of the response was positive.

I took another photo with Dakota... we both cleaned up nicely. He asked a few questions about what to wear with a kilt and was glad to hear that a t-shirt was just as ok as a full formal getup.


The awards ceremony was very nice. A LCpl, a Sgt, a Gunny, and a WO3 were recognized for their contributions to the Ammo Tech world in the past year. The award is named after Gunny Edwin Johnson, one of the Marines killed in the firefight where Dakota earned his MOH. We sat with a group of very young Marine privates and PFCs who had been brought up from Ammo Tech school at Ft. Lee.

On the way home, we stopped for a nice dinner in Fredericksburg, and then headed on home. A special day of remembrance and recognition, and a great experience being out kilted.