Skip to main content
Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Tags
Related Content
Topic
  • Ceremonies. Celebrations, Commemorations
Document Type
  • Historical Summary
Wars & Conflicts
File Formats
  • Image (gif, jpg, tiff)
Location of Archival Materials

Precedence of Forces in Parades


Members of a joint-service color guard stand by during a Memorial Day ceremony at the Intrepid Sea,
Members of a joint-service color guard during a Memorial Day ceremony.

General Order No. 47 established the Precedence of Forces in Parades on 13 May 1935. The order of precedence in a parade of military and naval forces is:

  • Cadets, United States Military Academy

  • Midshipmen, United States Naval Academy

  • Cadets, United States Coast Guard

  • Regular Army

  • United States Marines

  • United States Navy

  • United States Coast Guard

  • National Guard organizations that have been federally recognized

  • Marine Corps Reserve

  • Naval Reserve

  • Other organizations of the Organized Reserves, National Guard, Naval Militia, Reserve Officers Training Corps, and other training units in the order prescribed by the grand marshal of the parade

  • Veterans and patriotic organizations in the order prescribed by the grand marshal of the parade

A joint-service color guard also reflects this order of precedence.

Although the Navy’s birthday is 13 October 1775, a loss of appropriations in 1785 temporarily ended the service’s existence until it was reestablished with the Naval Act of 1794. Because of this timeline lapse, the U.S. Marine Corps’ birthday on 10 November 1775 gives the Marines precedence in parades and joint-service color guards.

 

Additional Resources

What’s Going on with the Order of Service Flags?

Precedence of the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps

Establishment of the Navy, 13 October 1775

The Reestablishment of the Navy, 1787-1801: Historical Overview and Select Bibliography

Precedence of Forces in Parades

Precedence of the Naval Reserve in Parades

 

 


Navy-and-Marines
This infographic shares the history of the Navy and Marine Corps Team ─ a unique expeditionary force whose mission remains essential to the defense of the United States to this day. Click image to download.

Selected Imagery (click image to download)


Photo #: NH 85796 "An Act to provide a naval armament"
"An Act to provide a naval armament." (NH 85796)


Inauguration Parade
Inauguration parade for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Marines marching up Pennsylvania Avenue on March 4, 1933. (NH 114386)


Franklin D. Roosevelt
Inauguration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 4 March 1933. Admiral William V. Pratt, USN, and General Douglas MacArthur, USA, review parade. (NH 750)


Parade in New York
Parade in New York. Sailors marching on Fifth Avenue. (NH114372)


Photo #: NH 101109 Bunker Hill Day Parade, Boston, Massachusetts
Bunker Hill Day Parade, Boston, Massachusetts, 17 June 1913. (NH 101109)


United States President Herbert Clark Hoover (1929-1933)
United States President Herbert Clark Hoover (1929-1933) reviewing the Inauguration Day Parade, 4 March 1929. (NH49070)

Published: Tue Apr 06 16:57:46 EDT 2021