May 22—NEW LONDON—As the minutes ticked by Wednesday at Cadet Memorial Field until 225 U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadets would become new officers, the Class of 2024 was reminded of the daunting responsibilities ahead.
Some ensigns will sail aboard icebreakers or counter-narcotics vessels, while their classmates will attend flight school or go to remote ports to help in the aftermath of natural disasters. Still others will prepare to respond to environmental accidents.
But Academy Provost Amy Donahue defined the cadets’ new duties in simpler terms.
“You’re going to save the world,” she said.
The 143rd Commencement included the pomp and pageantry expected of a military academy graduation, complete with the intonation of oaths of office and a flyover by a pair of Coast Guard helicopters as the new officers launched their white blankets into the air.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, the keynote speaker, noted that the class arrived at the New London campus while the COVID-19 pandemic – and all related restrictions – were still in full bloom.
He said the challenges of isolation and hybrid classes had a profound impact on a group of young cadets already entering an unfamiliar environment.
“You may be the most tested and resilient of the 142 classes that came before you,” Mayorkas said. “You have proven that you are ready for what tomorrow may bring and that you will take on the enormous responsibilities that you will soon have.”
Mayorkas announced he was straying from his prepared remarks, admitting he didn’t remember “a single thing anyone said” while graduating from college or law school.
The Coast Guard, unlike other military branches, falls under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security.
The ceremony was the first for Admiral Michael Johnston as the academy’s superintendent. Johnston also praised the toughness and adaptability his cadets demonstrated during their first year.
“Despite the rest of the world being in lockdown, you showed up on July 8, 2020,” referring to the first day of the school’s “swab summer” launch.
Johnston said the cadets were preparing to enter the fleet at a critical time, one that required “intelligent, competent and energetic leaders.”
“Remember, this is a team sport,” he said. “And keep taking care of each other.”
The graduating class included five international students and nine residents from southeastern Connecticut. The class had the highest percentage of female graduates – 41.2% – and both the highest percentage and number, 13, of Asian female graduates.
Local graduates include Noah Caskey of Oakdale; Jonathan Glander of East Lyme; Stonington residents Brigid Kunka and Sydney Motherway; Noah McMahon of Taftville; Alyssa Parker from Waterford; Longtime Saybrook residents Daniel Radka and Cooper Pavlovich; and Derek Raymond of Mystic.
Coast Guard Commander Linda Fagan recalled a day 39 years ago when a young cadet sat waiting for her assignment, feelings of “excitement, anxiety and pride” washing over her.
“There has never been a better time to be an officer,” Fagan said. “You are embarking on a truly noble calling to serve the American people.”
Fagan reminded the cadets that they were well prepared for the challenges they faced and urged them to embody the Coast Guard’s core values of honor, respect and devotion to duty, as well as the concepts of compassion and trust.
As 22-year-old Mystic resident Derek Raymond walked off the graduation field as a newly commissioned officer, he remembered the somewhat diagonal path that led him to the academy four years ago.
“Originally, I wanted to go to the Air Force or the Naval Academy and fly fighter jets, but I was too tall,” said the 6-foot-4 mechanical engineering major. “When I came here, I knew I wanted to be on a ship, but not while the Navy is going out, and I liked the Coast Guard’s humanitarian mission.”
Raymond said the first academic year was marked by social distancing restrictions – cadets could not enter each other’s rooms – which were later relaxed. Once excursions beyond the academy’s gates were permitted, Raymond’s familiarity with the region made him a popular resource for his transplanted classmates.
“I was asked a lot for restaurant recommendations,” said Raymond, who was assigned to the Coast Guard cutter Forward in Portsmouth, Virginia. ‘I’ll relax for a few days and then go to Virginia. I’m going to Disney World.”
j.penney@theday.com
