Oakdale Native Among Coast Guard Cadets in Inaugural Parade
CADETS
The Day
Katie Koch
Boston University Washington News Service
1/20/09
WASHINGTON – Nearly 90 cadets from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy marched in Tuesday’s inaugural parade, and Oakdale native and third-class cadet Richard Kyle Coleman was excited to be among them.
“It was pretty exhilarating, actually,” said Coleman, 20, a graduate of Montville High School. “It went by really fast.”
The cadets spent many hours preparing for their brief moment before the new President. They gathered at 2 a.m. Tuesday to take a bus from the Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Md., where they stayed Monday night, and spent most of the day practicing and waiting to step off.
The Coast Guard didn’t begin to march until dusk and finished the parade route at about 6:30 p.m. They went directly to another bus, which they took in order to arrive home in time for classes today.
While marching, the cadets got to stop in front of the White House and turn “eyes left” to Barack Obama, who saluted them.
“I really didn’t get into the election because I figured I’m going to be taking orders no matter what. I support the president, and that’s my responsibility,” Coleman said.
But, he said, marching in the parade left a more distinct impression of what the next four years will be like.
“I felt a lot of hope and pride for what was happening,” he said. “It makes me hopeful that everyone else is so hopeful.”
Third-class cadet Brian Bonomi, 19, of Cooper City, Fla., said the crowd’s good will extended beyond the new President.
“Every time they announced our service and what we do, the crowd would cheer us, and it was like, wow,” Bonomi said. “It kind of restored my pride in what we do.”
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