Showing posts with label 57TH PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 57TH PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION. Show all posts

Monday, January 21, 2013

THE FIRST DANCE AT THE INAUGURAL BALL

Credit: White House Joyce N. Boghosian
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Service Members Chosen for Inaugural Ball First Dance
Joint Task Force – National Capital Region 57th Presidential Inauguration

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2013 – The Department of Defense has chosen four of its top men and women representing their respective service branches to join the Obamas and Bidens for the traditional first dance at the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s Commander-in-Chief’s Ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center Jan. 21.

The event will honor the brave men and women of the nation’s armed forces and their families -- a tradition started by then-President George W. Bush in 2005.

The selected service members -- representing the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force -- will dance with President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden during the event. A service member from the U.S Coast Guard will also be represented in the official event program.

The service members include:

-- Air Force Staff Sgt. Bria D. Nelson, who will dance with President Obama. Nelson, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., enlisted on July 31, 2002, as a medical technician. She deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Her awards include the Air Force Commendation Medal. She is currently assigned to the 579th Medical Operations Squadron, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., as the noncommissioned officer in charge of Explorer Family Health Element.

-- Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Timothy D. Easterling, who will dance with First Lady Michelle Obama. Easterling, a native of Barnwell, S.C., enlisted on Aug. 21, 2000, as a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense specialist. He deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. His awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. In 2009, Easterling helped plan and execute the Chemical Biological Incident Response Force’s participation in the Presidential Inauguration and four subsequent Presidential State of the Union addresses and Joint Sessions of Congress. He is currently assigned to Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., as a distance learning instructor.

-- Army Staff Sgt. Keesha N. Dentino, who will dance with Vice President Joe Biden. Dentino, a native of Homestead, Fla., enlisted on July 6, 2004, as a military police officer. She deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Her awards include the Bronze Star Medal and four Army Commendation Medals. She is currently assigned to the 947th Military Police Detachment, Fort Myer, Va., as a patrol explosives detection dog handler and is working on her bachelors of science degree in criminal justice.

-- Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Patrick R. Figueroa, who will dance with Dr. Jill Biden. Figueroa, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, enlisted on Dec. 16, 2008, as a hospital corpsman. He deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. While there, Figueroa rescued Marine Cpl. Hoffman, who is now a Wounded Warrior at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. His awards include the Presidential Unit Citation and Navy Unit Commendation. Figueroa is currently assigned to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as a manpower transfer clerk.

The service members were chosen by a selection board made up of senior enlisted leaders from the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, a task force of DOD military and civilian members brought together to support the 57th Presidential Inauguration.

The board met with and reviewed the records and accomplishments of more than 50 individuals who were submitted by senior leadership within each service. Considering factors like combat experience and volunteer efforts, the board aimed to identify individuals who would best tell the story of their services.

"These men and women represent their service in an honorable and professional way and we are excited to afford them this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as part of the Presidential Inauguration," said Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Julius Spain, who participated in the selection process as the senior enlisted board member representing the Marine Corps and serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the Joint Team Special Events, JTF-NCR.

The Commander-in-Chief’s Ball is for members of the U.S. military, including active duty and reserve military members, Medal of Honor recipients, and wounded warriors and their spouses, among others.

The 2013 Commander-in-Chief’s Ball will have a significantly larger footprint than that of 2009, nearly doubling in size, and tickets for invited military guests will be provided free of charge by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

The Pentagon Channel will be carrying live coverage of inaugural events including the Commander-in-Chief’s Ball, the Kids’ Inaugural concert and the parade.

Monday, January 14, 2013

MILITARY STAND-INS REHEARSE FOR PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION

Left to right: Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Rachel Washko, Marine Corps Master Sgt. Richard Bolin, Air Force Staff Sgt. Serpico Elliott Army Spc. Yolanda Rollins meet with reporters after representing President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and their wives during a Jan. 13, 2013, dress rehearsal for Jan. 21 Inauguration Day activities in Washington, D.C. DOD photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Military Stand-ins Support Inauguration Rehearsal
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2013 - With the 57th presidential inauguration a week away, President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, likely are busy getting prepared.

It stands to reason they wouldn't have much time, much less an entire day, to stand through dozens of rehearsals as the U.S. military prepares for its role in supporting the ceremonial occasion.

Therefore, stand-ins are necessary, which is exactly what four lucky service members did for yesterday's large-scale dress rehearsal in the nation's capital.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Serpico Elliott, 29, from Greensboro, N.C., was the man of the hour as he stood in for President Barack Obama.

Elliot, who said he was selected to represent the commander in chief because of his physical stature, standing at 6 feet, 2 inches, talked about his experience.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to support the commander in chief in such a capacity," he said. "It's an amazing feeling, even if it's for a day.

"It was a very good experience," Elliot added. "The rehearsal went very smoothly. We just got a quick brief and everything like that for the run-through, and kept with the timelines and everything."

Elliot noted that he and the other military stand-ins have roles for the actual inauguration ceremony, so the day of the event will be very different for them, compared to yesterday's rehearsal. A communications noncommissioned officer by trade, he will support the mobile communications center team during the Jan. 21 public inauguration ceremony.

Army Spc. Yolanda Rollins, 20, an automated logistical specialist from Dunwoody, Va., was asked how she selected her clothes for the rehearsal. She stood in for the first lady, who is known for trendy dressing.

"It took a while," Rollins said with a laugh. "But I just readily chose it, and it just happened to fit perfectly. I fell in love with it."

Rollins said she picked "something that is [trendy], but classy and casual, and gorgeous as well."

Marine Corps Master Sgt. Richard Bolin, 43, from Pontiac, Mich., made sure to note the military stand-ins were simply filling in for the principals.

"We're not here to impersonate them," he said. "We're here to stand in their place."

Bolin, an operations center chief, said he volunteered to represent the vice president.

"They were looking for people who were not fully, actively engaged during the rehearsal this morning," he said. "We had a lot of people out on Pennsylvania Avenue and throughout [the District of Columbia] rehearsing for what is going to happen.

Bolin said he reported to Joint Task Force National Capital Region in August to support the military's preparations "to put this world-class show on for the president."

"We're proud to support him," he added.

Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Rachel Washko, 37, of Plano, Texas, is a special events coordinator for the inauguration and represented Dr. Biden during yesterday's rehearsal. As is the case with the other stand-ins, she has not had the opportunity to meet her counterpart, she said, but she knows exactly what she would say if given the opportunity.

"It would be a real honor to meet Dr. Biden," she said. "As a military member, and a military spouse, [I know] she's done a lot for military families, and she supports education. So I'd tell her it's an honor to meet her and stand in her shoes for a day."


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