At just 23 years old, Pfc. Patrick Montgomery from Gainesville stays in control and in step as he taps his snare and darts to the right, then quickly to the left in unison with his fellow drummers.

The Marines are the smallest and scrappiest branch of the armed forces, as any veteran of the Corps will proudly (and loudly) tell you. But even among the Marines, there are the few, the proud, the ...