On Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018, the Marine Corps could have added another meaning to their motto: ”Always Ready.” You see, on that Wednesday afternoon, Captain Trey Gregory and several other Marines stationed at the Marine Barracks at Eight and I Street NE in Washington, DC heard a warning about a fire nearby over the barracks radio system. Without hesitation, these Marines ran several blocks from the safety of their barracks and dashed into the multi-storied Arthur Capper Senior Public Housing complex, which was engulfed in flames at the time.

As smoke and flames grew within the building, Captain Gregory and his fellow Marines ran through the building, knocking on doors and helping DC firefighters locate all the senior residents of the complex and assisting in their safe removal from the building. Captain Gregory and two other Marines came upon one senior who was paralyzed and confined to an electric wheelchair. The Marines attempted to lift the senior and his chair, but it was too heavy. Therefore, they lifted the individual onto their shoulders and carried him down four flights of smoky stairwells to safety.  

In a Washington Post article by Marissa J. Lang, Captain Gregory is quoted, saying, “It was definitely a situation you do not want to be in. But this is what we do. We’re Marines, and when we see a crisis, we respond.”

“Semper Fi,” Captain Gregory and your fellow Marines — a job well done!

It’s not what we do, but WHY we do it.