ANNAPOLIS, Md., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- U.S. Marines will no longer guard the entrance to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis -- a duty they carried for 155 years.
The Baltimore Sun reports the decision to replace the Marines was made at the highest levels of the Navy and the Marine Corps, as part of a program to reposition Marines to the combat units. The decision was partly influenced by the global war on terrorism, but had been in the works before that, said Marine Corps spokeswoman Lt. Elle Helmer.
Since just a few years after the Naval Academy's founding in 1845, Marines have guarded the military college and performed ceremonial duties.
The 48 Marines of the U.S. Naval Academy Company, Marine Barracks, Washington, will be replaced by enlisted Navy personnel -- and possibly by additional federal security forces -- if a threat level is raised, officials said.
When the decision was announced last April, Annapolis officials mourned the Marines' parting. U.S. Rep. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., said he was "extremely disappointed by the decision."
