U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Air Force Academy cadets represented the Academy and Air Force during the 58th Presidential Inauguration Parade, Jan. 20 in Washington.
Eighty-nine cadets marched to honor the 45th President, Donald Trump, on the day of his swearing-in.
Cadet 1st Class Sara Fishbein, former Cadet Wing commander, led the Academy cadets on the nearly two-mile route from Capitol Hill to the White House.
“This was an incredible opportunity to represent the Academy and interact with fellow Airmen from across our Air Force,” she said. “It was an honor to represent the Academy and the Air Force in such an important event for our country.”
At least two cadets from each squadron were selected to march in the parade.
“Being able to be part of such a historical event in our nation is quite an honor and something I never imagined I would be a part of,” said Cadet 3rd Class Caston Casey, Cadet Squadron 30. “It was an honor and privilege to have been chosen to represent the Academy.”
Representative from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines, formed a 1,500-person formation to march in the parade and give the first salute to the new commander in chief.
“When we rendered that salute, we represented service members around the world,” said Master Sgt. Nicole Haun, NCO in-charge of Cadet Wing Drill and Ceremonies.
The weather was gloomy throughout the day but Cadet 1st Class Nathan Foss of CS-13 said nothing dampened the spirits of the cadets.
“It was an absolute amazing experience to be a part of the inauguration,” he said in an in an interview with his hometown newspaper, The Chanhassen Villager. “As we were marching down Pennsylvania Avenue, and heard the U.S. Air Force Academy being called, it was almost surreal what we were doing.
“I felt an immense amount of pride in the Academy and that we had this chance to represent not only our school but our classmates back in Colorado Springs for the public and the new president,” Foss said.
The armed forces have been a part of the presidential inauguration since George Washington was sworn into office in 1789. Academy cadets have marched in every parade since the 43rd Inauguration of President Dwight Eisenhower in 1957.