Sgt. Maj. Micheal P. Barrett, the sergeant major of the Marine Corps, braved horrendous interstate traffic to warmly greet the more than 250 retired E-9 Marines and their families who came from all over to renew old acquaintances, greet some of the many young Marines following in their footsteps and try out some of the current weapons.

"They’ve taken off the cloth," Barrett said, "but they all are still so faithful and 100 percent Marine." 

It took the Marine Corps’ highest-ranking enlisted man more than three hours to navigate the 29 miles between Quantico and the Pentagon, but not even that inconvenience could stop him from visiting with the gathered group of former warriors who had given so many years of service to the Marine Corps and America as a whole.

Chief among them was retired Sgt. Maj. John Corley, a 90-year-old World War II veteran who had served at Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Iwo Jima. Corley, who enlisted in September 1941 to start a 25-year career in the Corps, lamented the fact that many of those with whom he served are no longer with us, but said he welcomed the opportunity to spend time with fellow Marines, both young and old. 

Corley, who lives in Norfolk, attended his first Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Picnic in 2012. 

"It’s a lot of fun," he said.

The retired Marines and their families appeared to take special pleasure in trying out some of the many weapons available to today’s Marines, such as the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, the M110 sniper rifle and the M107 .50-caliber sniper rifle. 

Berinda Malden, who was a guest of her fiancé, retired Master Gunnery Sgt. Rico Reese, said she was so excited about firing weapons that she could hardly sleep the night before the couple drove down from Boston. 

"I’ve always seen them on TV," she said, "but I’m actually here testing all these guns. It’s awesome!" 

Sgt. Maj. Mark A. Byrd Sr., the sergeant major for Marine Corps Base Quantico, hailed the retired E-9 Marines as "an elite fraternity who have reached the pinnacle in the enlisted ranks." 

He’d get no argument from Gunnery Sgt. Mike Lawson, shooting team, Weapons Training Battalion, who called the presence of the retired Marines "very inspiring." 

"It was just great to see them come back and not just retire and leave the Corps," said Lawson, who was busy instructing on the pistol range. "It shows me the Corps is a family."