Wolfe to play at 2009 presidential inauguration
SANDPOINT - The eyes of the world will be on Washington D.C. in two weeks, as the most anticipated Presidential Inauguration Parade in history rolls down Pennsylvania Avenue.
The latest estimates predict anywhere between 2 and 5 million people will be watching in person, with countless millions tuning in across the world, as Barack Obama is sworn in as president of the United States.
Taking part in this historical event, with a bird's-eye view at that, will be Sandpoint's Alex Wolfe, a sophomore at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. Wolfe will be playing trumpet in the Merchant Marine's Regimental Band, the only student band playing in the inauguration, becoming the second member of his family to march in the parade. His older sister Lisa played the piccolo and marched at George W. Bush's inauguration in 2005.
"I'm just excited to be there, it's kind of a big deal," Wolfe, 20, said modestly, while sharing some advice his sister gave him. "She told me to stand on the left side to get a closer look at the president."
The honor is just the latest in what is quickly shaping up to be a distinguished military career for Wolfe, who graduated from Sandpoint High School in 2006.
He was named Honor Plebe as a freshman, given to the most outstanding plebe at the school. The first year at the academy is brutal for students, with no talking allowed outside of the room, squaring corners everywhere when walking and having to pass tests at 90 percent as a class, no small task with nearly 300 students.
"The first year is tough; following orders, can't do anything wrong, lots of stress," he explained, noting it was nice to finally get out and sail in his second year. "Being out on the water I finally had some time on my own. I could do what I wanted, and it was really nice to see what I'm going to be doing."
After training diligently since he's been in Kings Point, Wolfe finally attained Iron Man status, awarded to only a handful of students who pass the rigorous Naval physical assessment test. He cranked out 104 pushups in two minutes, 95 sit-ups in two minutes, and ran 1.5 miles in 8:06. He also recently qualified on the 9 mm pistol, signifying mastery of the firearm.
Last year alone he sailed to, Honolulu, Guam and China, to name just a few of the places.
He and another of his three older sisters, Alicia, each won their age groups at the National Guard Freedom Run in Hartford Connecticut in November. Alex ran the 5k race in 18:34, good for 6th overall out of the 336 finishers, and Alicia, a Naval Lieutenant living in Norwalk, Conn., finished in 22:15.
As if all of the aforementioned events weren't quite enough, Wolfe also started on the Mariners NAIA baseball team, hitting .275 and playing a big role defensively. The highlight of the season was sweeping the Coast Guard team, their long-time nemesis.
"That was a big deal for us, that's our rival," said Wolfe, who played on the Bulldogs' 2006 state champion baseball team as a senior. "It was the most fun I've ever had in the outfield. I was getting balls left and right."
Wolfe spent the holidays in Sandpoint, before heading back to New York on Sunday. He now must decide between either entering Army jump school and becoming a paratrooper, or going into Marine Ops, eventually progressing into Officer Candidate School. His father Larry said he was split right down the middle when he left, but has a feeling he'd like to go to jump school.
While the future options for Wolfe are many, his immediate thoughts are focussed on the inauguration. The James M. Cohan Band - the only Federal Academy band with an officially bestowed title - has already done two practices for the parade, in typical Merchant Marine style.
"The practices are at 6:30 a.m. and cold," Wolfe said. "There is no complaining because it will be just like that when we do it."