On Monday, May 28th, the Paint Branch NJROTC cadets marched in the Memorial Day parade in Washington, DC. A total of 36 cadets met at PB and took a Coach USA bus to the parade staging grounds in DC.
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance that honors and mourns the sacrifices made by veterans for the United States, and the cadet trip was a tribute to this day so they could commemorate all of the veterans who sacrificed their lives to ensure the safety of our country.
After arriving at the staging grounds, we took our time to explore the outside grounds of the Capitol and walk around the area before the parade began. This included venturing to the National Gallery of Art to take pictures and sit around. The weather was very humid and rainy that day, so it was not a great experience, but we did have fun socializing and playing hand games.
We had to wait for almost 2 hours in the rain to begin marching, but the rain lessened over time, which made it much more manageable. The Commanding Officer, Cadet Angu, led our march, which began at 10:50 am and then we marched all the way to Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. just over an hour later.
After the parade, we took ou
r water break and headed back to the bus. Our trip wasn’t done yet, though, as we took a 10-minute bus ride to the Navy Memorial Theatre for a ceremony and listened to speeches given by Navy leaders as part of our Memorial Day trip. At the end of the ceremony, cadets placed roses on a wreath to place at the Lone Sailor statue in honor of fallen service members. Before leaving, cadets took a picture with Rear Admiral David J. Faehnle and Vice Admiral John Nowel Jr. to commemorate the event.
Naval Science instructor Chief Mark says that the event was “a memorable moment for each one of you guys [cadets]… We’re proud of how the cadets represented the unit, Paint Branch High School, and the Burtonsville community on a national stage with professionalism and pride.”
Senior Naval Science instructor Captain Shin adds that “Our Paint Branch NJROTC cadets marched with remarkable pride and discipline in the National Memorial Day parade and represented the NJROTC program, Paint Branch High School, and themselves well. They showed immense respect for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. I am very proud of our cadets.”
Check out more photo’s and videos on the offical NJROTC page managed by Cadet Abigail-Grace Paterson!
