Vice President Kamala Harris will be in New London Wednesday morning to deliver the keynote address at the United States Coast Guard Academy's commencement ceremony.
"The base tomorrow will be shut down. As you can imagine, security is tight for the vice president," said Commander Krystyn Pecora, external affairs officer for the USCGA.
The academy has spent months planning for the graduation. Organizers have worked with New London Police, the state of Connecticut and the secret service to ensure a safe ceremony.
The USCGA's 141st commencement ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on May 18. New London Police released parking restrictions.
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Beginning at 5 a.m., no parking will be allowed on:
- River Ridge Road
- Deshon Street
- Nameaug Avenue
- Oneco Avenue
- Farnsworth Street
- Winchester Road
- Uncas Avenue
Riverside Park will be closed to the public, according to police.
Members of the public will be allowed to gather at several locations, including McKinley Park and the grass parcel located across the street from the main gate of the USCGA. No one will be allowed to gather beyond the main gate.
The 2022 graduating class is the largest class in the academy's history. 252 cadets will walk across the stage Wednesday and 243 will be commissioned as officers in the USCG.
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The nine other graduating cadets are international cadets who will be commissioning into their own services within their own countries.
"I am excited just to walk across the stage, get the diploma, get the commission and just start the future in the coast guard," said Kyle Hunihan, one of 12 graduating cadets from Connecticut.
The commencement ceremony is a culmination of 200 weeks of training for the cadets.
"This is not a normal college experience. You get the academic side and then you get the military training side," Pecora said. "It is not just the end of an academic term, but it is the beginning of the rest of their lives in the coast guard."
