Donald J. Trump graduated from New York Military Academy (NYMA) in 1964. Who could have possibly known that more than 60 years later, cadets from that very same school would be in Washington DC for the weekend to march in Trump’s second presidential inaugural parade.

That’s exactly what happened last weekend, when a contingent of 28 cadets (five girls and 23 boys), four NYMA staff members, and nearly two dozen NYMA alumni traveled to the nation’s capital for the very prestigious honor of participating in the inauguration events.

NYMA Head of School Sunny Doman, and Director of Cadet Life Sgt. Maj. (ret) Michael Lavigne found out just days before Christmas that the school’s application to be a part of the parade had resulted in an invitation to the event. The fact that Trump attended NYMA probably didn’t hurt.

The two jumped into action to complete all the high-level security work done for all their students and put out the word to alumni who might want to participate. And the day that cadets arrived back to their Cornwall-on-Hudson campus after Winter break, is the day that preparations began for the students.

“We have been drilling like crazy,” Lavigne, a 1993 graduate of NYMA, said. “We are working hard to move as one unit and learning drill and ceremony. And, last week we had a three-day leadership development school, and in that we talked about President Trump and his time at NYMA, as well as other famous and impressive graduates.”

The two said cadets are excited to be participating in this historic event.

NYMA itself is full of history – the school is 135 years old. Less of a military prep school than it was decades ago, it’s now a coed college prep school where, Doman says, it appears that all members of the Class of 2025 will be heading off to college next year. She’s been at the school for three years, first as Dean of Academics and, this year, as Head of School.

“The kids are very proud of being a part of the history of the United States,” Doman said, and proud to represent New York Military and the Cornwall community. “I think the town should be proud of them.”

Indeed, they are.

Upon learning the news, Cornwall-on-Hudson Mayor James Gagliano said: As a former member of the United States Military Academy’s Cadet Color Guard, IO can certainly sense the incredible honor bestowed upon NYMA with the invitation for their cadets to travel to D.C. for Monday’s parade. What an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these young men and women from our community to receive a front row seat to the pageantry, custom, and tradition that is American transition of power on Inauguration Day.”

Supervisor Josh Wojehowski is also proud. “The town is proud of the students at the New York Military Academy, a storied historical institution in the Town of Cornwall, for being chosen to participate in the pageantry and time-honored tradition marking the peaceful transfer of power,” he said last week.

Lavigne says that what the cadets learn by being part of such a major event will be of benefit to the community in that when NYMA cadets later participate in local events – Memorial Day, for instance – they’ll have an even greater understanding of what they are doing and why.

On that note, Doman and Lavigne explained that the school turned the several-hour parade – that ended up being held inside the Capital Centre due to the extreme weather conditions on Monday -- into a long weekend for its students, highlighted by a behind-the-scenes visit to Arlington National Cemetery and its Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“I want them to see perfection,” Lavigne explained, noting that the soldiers who perform the ritual services at Arlington, like the much-viewed Changing of the Guard ceremony, are “the pinnacle of preparation”.

The students will do that thanks to Lavigne’s military connections – he retired from the Army in 2021. It was just this Fall that he took the job at NYMA, although it’s an institution he has stayed involved with since his graduation from it. He recalls turning on his television in El Paso, Texas in 2017 just at the moment that NYMA cadets marched in front of the president in that inaugural parade – “I had a feeling in my stomach that I can’t describe,” he said.

In addition to their visit to Arlington National Cemetery, Doman said last week, the group from NYMA was to spend Saturday in Philadelphia visiting the Ben Franklin Museum, the Liberty Bell and the University of Pennsylvania, and then Sunday at the Air & Space Museum and National Zoo (to see the pandas, by popular vote!) before Monday’s parade. On Sunday evening the cadets were to meet with the alumni who would be marching with them and spend time interviewing them about their NYMA years and what they’ve gone on to do with their lives.

Lavigne says he believes that NYMA, through the years, has provided its alumni with “the push to win; the push to be the best”. He said that Trump, in his first book, The Art of the Deal, indicated the same.

Many of the NYMA cadets participating in the parade were expecting to see some familiar faces along the way – their proud parents, Doman said, were heading to the nation’s capital to watch their cadets’ march.