When U. S. Coast Guard Lt. Alvin Dalmida wrote a letter of recommendation to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2006 for Charlotte Amalie High School senior Jevron James, he said the 6-foot 4-inch basketball star would be "a most outstanding addition to any corps of cadets."
The 23-year-old James appears to have fulfilled that expectation, topping it off with a flair for the dramatic.
As Cadet James matriculated into Ensign James Wednesday at the USCG Academy graduation ceremony in New London, Conn., the lanky athlete, standing a couple inches taller than keynote speaker President Barack Obama, seized the moment, leaning over and asking the leader of the free world if he would wave to his mother in the audience.
With a broad smile, the president immediately complied, providing Judith James, her husband Myron James, and the 16 family members in attendance, an experience none will soon forget, according to Dalmida.
The graduation marked the academy’s 130th commencement. In his speech, Obama told the graduates, "Your nation has great expectations. We’ve made an enormous investment to build you into the leaders that you are."
Noting the Coast Guard is the smallest of the services, Obama reminded the new officers of their "vast responsibilities." He said, "you will be tasked with vast responsibilities protecting thousands of miles of coast, securing hundreds of ports, patrolling millions of miles of ocean. But I’m absolutely confident that you will meet these obligations. For in you we see the same spirit that has made your service ‘Always Ready’ for more than two centuries."
James is off for a short vacation before he reports for duty June 20 as a Deck Watch Officer on the 378-foot Coast Guard cutter Morgenthau, home-ported in Alameda, Calif. The ship has a range from South America to Alaska. Cadets serve a five-year commitment after graduation, with an additional three years in the reserves. Dalmida, former lead project officer/recruiter for the V.I. Recruiting Initiative, now retired, maintains a sharp eye on his recruits.
He said that after the ceremony, James reflected on his experience. "He told me the fact that those that led the way for him knew how and when to challenge the process, share their vision, enabled others to act, and encouraged others to follow," Dalmida said. "He recalled his first year at ‘Swab Summer’ when he was sleep deprived but remained engaged by maintaining a strong GPA, developing personal leadership skills, participating in campus organizations, leading teams, and searching for opportunities to improve the organization with innovative methods."
Dalmida said, "On campus, Ensign James had earned several significant recognitions. As a senior, he was named the New England Women and Mens Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week when he averaged 18 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocks in the two games, as he was 13 of 28 from the floor while making 10 of 15 from the free throw line."
Aside from athletics, Dalmida said James "also made it his personal mission to visit high schools in the V.I. and recruit. His departure from the campus is a high note, but he will be missed. His place will be filled next year by talented rising Cadets 1C Ronaqua Russell and Rebecca Seifer, 2C Rian Bareuther, 3C Dale Carty II and Jamen DesCartes, all Virgin Islanders, pursuing an engineering degree and an opportunity to lead in one of the world’s best maritime services."
Away from academics, Dalmida said James managed to have his share of fun in the last four years. "Every year, he would traditionally lead cadets from the Virgin Islands, Hawaii, Alaska, Barbados, and Belize, to Labor Day Carnival activities in New York City," Dalmida said. "Not surprisingly, he impressed members of the Academy, the U.S. Navy League, the New York ‘Fresh Water Yankees,’ and the Washington, D.C. Metro Virgin Islands Association."
Founded in 1876, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy has a tradition as one of the finest engineering colleges in America. The Coast Guard provides a four-year bachelor of science program with a full scholarship for each individual. Unlike the other federal service academies, however, there are no congressional appointments.
