Since the spring, the newest enlisted members of the Coast Guard have graduated from Training Center Cape May with no loved ones in attendance due to pandemic safety precautions. Cape May County residents, organized by the Cape May County Coast Guard Community Foundation, have stepped in so that the new Coasties’ accomplishments do not go without public celebration! Several hundred people safely line the streets of Cape May after the graduation each week and offer congratulations, flag-waving and clapping of hands as the buses depart the Training Center to the frontlines of the United States Coast Guard. In a Facebook post, Vice Commandant Admiral Ray Charles shared about these gestures of support and stated: “This heartwarming act of kindness is not only indicative of the long-time support we receive from the residents of Cape May County, but it shows how people everywhere are staying socially connected despite physical distance.”
As this activity shifted from a spontaneous act into something more established and longer-term, parents and loved ones of Coast Guard recruits began to contact the Foundation: could we do something special for their graduate? So, the Foundation’s signage program was born. Now families and loved ones can specify messages that Foundation staff and volunteers place on signs to be held up by community members as each graduating company departs the Training Center. Cape May County residents are more than happy to act as stand-ins for proud parents, spouses, and siblings, connecting family, community, and graduates across long distances.
Cape May – The number one reason I didn’t vote for Donald Trump was January 6th and I found it incredibly sad that so many Americans turned their back on what happened that day when voting. I respect that the…
