Two oldest maritime colleges to unite for November 11th commemorative event
The “Pride of the Regiment” at the New York City parade in 2021
Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) and State University of New York – the two oldest maritime colleges in the country – will unite on Saturday, November 11th when their respective Bands and Honor Guards will participate in the New York City Veterans Day Parade.
The two colleges will be combined under one banner representing the US Merchant Service and Maritime Industry at the New York City Veterans Day Parade, the largest Veterans Day commemoration in the nation.
The Academy’s “Pride of the Regiment” Band, Honor Guard, and Drill Team perform at events and parades during fall, winter, sea term and spring semesters. Band members have traveled over 4,200 miles annually and performed in several nationally recognized events from Plymouth, Boston and Holyoke Massachusetts, to Washington, D.C., Newport, Rhode Island, and New York City. “Pride of the Regiment” averages 50 engagements a year, not including on campus formations and ceremonies.
“It is a distinct honor to participate in the New York City Veterans Day Parade,” said Wayne Magee, director of Bands, Honor Guard & Drill Team “The Pride of the Regiment.” “We look forward to this first-of-a-kind collaboration with State University of New York and will take great pride in representing the Academy.”
“The entire Academy community is thrilled to learn that our ‘Pride of the Regiment’ will take part in the long-standing New York City Veterans Day Parade, and we are further delighted that it will share the honor with State University of New York,” said Rear Admiral Francis X. McDonald, USMS, president of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
The Massachusetts Maritime Academy will also be represented at the Wareham Veterans Day Parade on November 11, where Allan Metcalfe, vice president of operations, will be a speaker. Captain Metcalfe was commissioned in the U.S. Navy in June 1985 and was winged in June 1987. He served with distinction as an F-14 Tomcat Radar Intercept Officer with VF-103, The Sluggers. He flew over 25 carrier-based combat missions during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm aboard USS Saratoga. For his service, Capt. Metcalfe was awarded the Air Medal with Combat “V,” the Strike Flight Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V,” the Navy Unit Commendation Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal, and the Kuwaiti Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia and Kuwait).
In addition, several student veterans will participate at an outer Cape VFW event on November 11th in commemoration of Veterans Day.
About Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA): MMA is a fully accredited, co-educational, state university offering Bachelor and Master of Science degrees that are highly regarded in the worldwide maritime industry and beyond. For more than 100 years, MMA has prepared students for exciting and rewarding careers on land and sea. As the nation’s finest maritime university, MMA challenges students to succeed by balancing a unique regimented lifestyle with a typical four-year college environment. Follow MMA on FB: @massmaritime, @MassMaritime.Advancement; IG: @massmaritime, @mmacademyalumni; Twitter: @MMAadmissions, @MMAcademyAlumni; YouTube: Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
