Millions Watched The US Marine Band's Incredible Performance In Macy's Parade Through New York

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Millions watched the 86th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but they got a special treat this year: The Marine Corps Band.

For only the second time in the parade's history, the band marched and performed in the streets of New York, reaching nearly 53 million on the streets and on TV with their music.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be invited into the homes of American families while they get together to celebrate Thanksgiving,” Master Gunnery Sgt. Jeffery Fangman, bandmaster for Quantico’s band, told Ameesha Felton. “It’s one of the greatest opportunities we have to tell the Marine Corps story to the nation and internationally — through music, drill, snap and pop, and through everything we represent as Marines.”

80 Marines made up the formation — coming from Quantico, Va., Cherry Point, N.C., and Jacksonville, N.C.

The band won the chance at performing in the parade through a lottery in 2011, beating out more than 150 applicants, according to WITN.