I was in drum line in high school band. We were CA state champs in 1984. Went to the Rose Parade in '84, the LA olympics the same year, and Macy's in 1981. Some of the members went to Vanguard, but I wasn't that good. We did have Mike Zapata coaching our band in '84, and he was the drum major of Vanguard at the time they were national champs. Gary Locke was the band teacher at the time, but now he's moved onto RCC's Marching Tigers and I think is even a judge at the national level.
It was interesting stuff. Sometimes when I flip through channels and see DCI, I'll stick around and watch it.
Close order drill in the USMC was drop dead stupid simple for me when I went through boot camp and I think that I was the only one who knew what the hell we were supposed to be doing.
One last thing: I admire all the best DCI bands very much and thought that what level of expertise they had couldn't get any better from my high school band viewpoint, but until I saw the United States Marine Band march and play and the USMC Silent Drill Team perform I couldn't believe that any band in DCI could be made to look amateurish. If you haven't seen the USMC Silent Drill team, you need to seek out one of their public performances.
I have heard that many members of the USMC band attract the best and most disciplined from the DCI world.
You are correct on all count. One minor pick though - don't call them a 'band'. They hate that. They are a corp. (grin).
You are especially correct about the USMC group. My son and I attended the DCI finals in 2000 at the Univ of Maryland. The USMC performed prior to the competition. They were awesome. And yes, there is a significant relationship between DCI and the USMC.