Charleston Marines serve, honor veterans

The U.S. Marine Corps’ Combat Logistics Battalion 451 Detachment 3, located on the Joint Base Charleston - Weapons Station, is comprised of less than 30 active-duty Sailors and Marines whose main mission is to supply medical equipment and supplies throughout all Marine Forces Reserves locations across the globe.

Though medical logistics is their number one mission priority, these Marines also dedicate their time to those that have served before them.

“Whether you served one year or 30 years, as long as you left the Marines with honorable service, we will provide you military honors at your funeral,” said 1st Sgt. Gennaro Mazzeo, Combat Logistics Battalion 451 Det. 3 first sergeant. “We also provide colors performances, but our number one priority is ensuring that if we are tasked with a funeral that no matter what, the funeral detail is covered.”

The Marines at Det. 3 perform an average of 155 funerals every year within a 200-mile radius of the installation. When a Marine is stationed here, they are automatically put on the next eight to ten funeral details to ensure they are proficient on their own.

“Doing this work can have a toll on you,” said Mazzeo. “Having to bury a man or woman that you once called a fellow Marine and switch yourself right back into work-mode is a tough challenge. It takes a lot of mental and physical training to ensure that we are as able as we can possibly be.”

Training consists of two to three major training days each month where they practice and study their drill and ceremonies manual. Upon receiving a funeral detail, a team will be selected and will train daily up until the day of the funeral.

“Performing a detail has different meanings for all of us, but in the end, we are all humbled and honored to give a fellow Marine their proper respects,” said Cpl. Brandon Brown, Combat Logistics Battalion 451 Det. 3 administration specialist. “I myself have been a part of more than 200 funerals and each one is just as important and meaningful as the last.”

Mazzeo takes pride in what his team accomplishes for those who served while still completing their day-to-day tasks with professionalism.

“I think it says a lot when we as a small detachment provide all that we do, with the few people in here that we have,” said Mazzeo. “I don’t think these men and women get the credit they deserve. These people provide a level of dedication and time that is unprecedented and I wish I could give them all more than what I already do.”