Eric Roper, The Examiner
2008-07-29 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WASHINGTON -

There was a changing of the guard at the D.C. Marine Barracks on Friday morning. But unlike similar military ceremonies, it was also the changing of the leash, the water bowl and the chew toys.

Chesty the XII, an English bulldog, took his last steps as the official mascot of the barracks in Southeast D.C., surrounded by fanfare normally reserved for dignitaries. After six years of stardom peppered with parade appearances and photo ops, the barracks’ longest-serving dog handed the reins to his successor, Chesty the XIII.

“Everyone loves Chesty,” said Gunnery Sgt. Will Price, public affairs chief at the barracks. “He is our rock star.”

The mascot, which rotates every several years, is typically owned by a member of the “President’s Own,” the United States Marine Band. The band’s dramatic send-off for Chesty the XII on Friday morning ended with “Auld Lang Syne,” the Scottish folk song often sung on New Year’s Eve.

Master Sgt. Charles Casey, a trombonist and owner of Chesty the XIII, said the new dog was acquired from a retired Marine Corps captain in the area. He added that he served as the dog’s “drill instructor” in a “delayed entry program” before Chesty could take the position.

The U.S. Marine Corps enlisted the bulldog as its official mascot after World War I, and later named it Chesty after Lt. Gen. Lewis “Chesty” Puller — the most decorated member of the Marines. Each barracks typically has its own incarnation of the famed canine.

Chesty the XII will retire to the home of band members Kristin and Michael Mergen, where he will live out his years “taking naps and playing with small toys and basketballs,” according to a news release.