Chapter 33

Christmas Parade

It has been several weeks since that wonderful day we played with the spray. Our class has proven that we have what it takes to put on the Florida Highway Patrol uniform. While we do not yet have our badges and we have not yet graduated, we have been allowed to wear our uniforms for class. In the time since the pepper spray course, we have completed firearms and first responder training. We have completed almost half of our training. and we feel we have matured as a team. Lt. Hudson and the staff feel the same—I assume, anyway. Today we were offered the opportunity to participate in Tallahassee’s Christmas night parade. Of course we said yes!

We spent several days preparing for the parade. We worked on our formations and marching. We developed a cadence specifically for this event and made sure our uniforms were pressed and shoes were shined. We felt great about the event and our spirits were high and then they were shattered by Sgt. Martinez.

“I like the motivation that you are showing for this parade. I love the pressed uniforms and shined shoes. Unfortunately, I have some bad news for you. We will be singing cadence, and we will be in formation. However, we will not be marching. We will instead be running. I guess we forgot to tell you,” Sgt. Martinez said this as he walked away laughing.

“Damn it, what the hell, we just can’t catch a break,” I said with a smirk on my face.

“It could be worse. I mean they could make us hop on one foot for the whole thing,” Cadet Ruiz said.

“True,” Julio said, laughing.

“Oh well, I guess we should just get ready for a nice long run then,” I replied.

“It will still be a fun time getting out and mingling with people outside this academy,” Julio said.

We all went back to our rooms and gathered our PT gear and made sure it was washed and smelling all fresh for tomorrow’s run. After washing the uniforms, we all settled in for a good night’s sleep.

Well Saturday, the day of the Christmas fun run, had arrived. We all got dressed and headed out to the parade grounds. We got to the parade grounds around twelve o’ clock in the afternoon. We practiced drills and cadence for about an hour. The parade did not start until seven o’ clock that evening, so we spent the remainder of our time mingling with the other performers and schools.

We could see the parade staff stringing up lights and decorations. The other participants were wearing everything from Santa and reindeer costumes to Christmas outfits. The air was full of laughter and friendship. It was a great day. I was having so much fun that I almost forgot that I was in one of the most grueling schools in the state of Florida.

As the day turned into evening, the class and instructors began to gather in formation. The parade began at around seven o’ clock in the evening and ran until about ten in the evening. During the parade we sang cadence while we ran a little over four miles.

The best part of the parade was the applause from the crowd when we came jogging past. The young children waving and the older generations of people that waved American flags were enough to take your breath away. It made me feel like I was part of more than just another job. It was at this point that I knew I would stick with this career for a majority of my life.

As the night came to an end, we were exhausted, but none of us wanted the night to end. We shook hands with the friends we made and told everyone good-bye. We loaded up on the bus and headed back to the academy for a much needed night’s sleep.

The next morning after waking completely refreshed, we were released for a wonderful Christmas break. The break was not going to be but a couple of days long; however, I know that I needed it, and I am sure my classmates did as well.