They were at the Jacksonville Landing to present the colors for the start of the ''Light the Night'' Leukemia/Lymphoma awareness walk.

''Light the Night'' refers to the special lit balloons that each walker holds. This was the first year that a color guard had been utilized. Cadets Jerak Wright, Drake Tola, John-Eric Lopez, and Summer Franklin were poised and ready to march by 6:55 p.m. However, due to an extremely high number of participants, the ceremony was postponed by about forty-five minutes from the original start time.

Through all of the waiting, our cadets remained in an attitude of patience and military bearance that impressed several onlookers.

One such admirer was Duval County Sherriff John Rutherford, who took time to come and shake hands with each of the cadets. The color guard was announced and the cadets marched in, keeping in sync with one another with each step.

Besides presenting colors at special events such as this, our color guard regularly presents colors at the monthly Mayport Navy League dinners. The color guard will be leading our unit as we march in the Veteran's Day parade that is scheduled for Nov. 11.