Obama’s big day will be local soldier’s as well

WASHINGTON, D.C. — When more than 1,500 service members salute President Barack Obama on Jan. 21 along the parade route for his second inaugural, Army Sgt. 1st Class Meghan Malloy will have had a hand in making sure all the other white-gloved hands snap at the right time.

Malloy, who grew up on Camano Island and graduated from Stanwood High School in 1998 as Meghan Slater, is a member of an elite team from the Department of Defense preparing for the inauguration.

She belongs to a 176-member joint task force charged with coordinating all ceremonial military support for the 57th U.S. Presidential Inauguration. The task force includes members from all branches of the armed forces, including reserves and National Guard. The total number of military personnel participating in the inauguration is about 5,000.

Malloy, 32, is active on a sub-committee of 11 people in charge of the 1,541 service members who will line the inaugural parade route through Washington, D.C.

“Malloy is an asset to the cordon team. She is an outstanding performer, consistently executing tasks well above her pay grade,” said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Michelle Watson, deputy commander for the military street cordon line for the parade. “Her hard work, dedication and leadership is vital to the ceremonial support that we provide to the commander in chief.”

“I’m excited to be here supporting the inauguration,” Malloy said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and an amazing honor. It is something that very few people have a chance to participate in.”

Malloy said her family back home is cheering her on and teasing her, begging for tickets to some of the inaugural balls.

Malloy is married to Transportation Security Administration health physicist and Army veteran Shannon Malloy. She is the daughter of Richard Slater, of Whidbey Island, and Barb Slater, of California, and sister to Brad McDonald of Camano Island. She and her husband, a New York native, have four dogs and live in the Maryland suburbs of Washington.

Malloy was 20 when she joined the Army Reserve in Olympia. After Sept. 11, 2001, she switched to active duty and served three deployments as a medic in Iraq. Since then she has served with the Army in Germany, Texas, Washington state, Colorado and Missouri. About a year ago, she was transferred to an Army research facility in Silver Spring, Md.

“I miss Washington state, and it’s been a few years since I’ve been home. I miss skiing at Mount Baker and so much more,” Malloy said. “The restaurants in D.C. are phenomenal, but no one does salmon like the people back home.”

Malloy, a big Seahawks fan, has tickets to the NFC playoff game today between Seattle and the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field.

“A friend from Mount Vernon and I have pretty good seats. My family told me to yell really loud,” she said.

Malloy was asked to join the inauguration team in September and has been working full time on the project since.

“It’s been interesting to work with the Secret Service, the capital police, the park service and the metro police as well as all the property owners we have to contact to get the parade set up,” she said. “It’s all about making sure it runs smoothly.”

A rehearsal is planned next Sunday morning, Jan. 13.

“We’ll start at about 3 a.m. and shut down the streets of the capital until about noon,” Malloy said. “There is a lot to rehearse. For one thing, getting 1,500 people to salute at once takes some practice.”

After Inauguration Day, the committee will take another month to archive their work for the military crew who gets the same job in four years.

“I’ve watched the inauguration on TV since I was little and I am absolutely looking forward to it,” said Malloy, who also will be on the parade route. “I’ve had a lot of fun explaining the process, because most people really don’t understand how much work goes into the inauguration. It’s a wonderful celebration of the nation’s democratic process and a chance to show our commander-in-chief our appreciation and support.”

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

More in Local News

This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. In a race against the clock on the high seas, an expanding international armada of ships and airplanes searched Tuesday, June 20, 2023, for the submersible that vanished in the North Atlantic while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP)
A new movie based on OceanGate’s Titan submersible tragedy is in the works: ‘Salvaged’

MindRiot announced the film, a fictional project titled “Salvaged,” on Friday.

Craig Hess (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Sultan’s new police chief has 22 years in law enforcement

Craig Hess was sworn in Sep. 14. The Long Island-born cop was a first-responder on 9/11. He also served as Gold Bar police chief.

Cars move across Edgewater Bridge toward Everett on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, in Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edgewater Bridge redo linking Everett, Mukilteo delayed until mid-2024

The project, now with an estimated cost of $27 million, will detour West Mukilteo Boulevard foot and car traffic for a year.

Lynn Deeken, the Dean of Arts, Learning Resources & Pathways at EvCC, addresses a large gathering during the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Cascade Learning Center on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, at Everett Community College in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
New EvCC learning resource center opens to students, public

Planners of the Everett Community College building hope it will encourage students to use on-campus tutoring resources.

Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman announces his retirement after 31 years of service at the Everett City Council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett police chief to retire at the end of October

Chief Dan Templeman announced his retirement at Wednesday’s City Council meeting. He has been chief for nine years.

Boeing employees watch the KC-46 Pegasus delivery event  from the air stairs at Boeing on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019 in Everett, Wa. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
Boeing’s iconic Everett factory tour to resume in October

After a three-year hiatus, tours of the Boeing Company’s enormous jet assembly plant are back at Paine Field.

A memorial for a 15-year-old shot and killed last week is set up at a bus stop along Harrison Road on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Teen boy identified in fatal shooting at Everett bus stop

Bryan Tamayo-Franco, 15, was shot at a Hardeson Road bus stop earlier this month. Police arrested two suspects.

Representative Rick Larsen speaks at the March For Our Lives rally on Saturday, June 11, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Larsen: ‘Fractured caucus’ of House Republicans is ‘unable to lead’

Following removal of the House speaker, a shutdown still looms. Congress has until Nov. 17 to devise a spending plan.

Spada Lake is seen from Culmback Dam on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, near Sultan, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Helicopter crash in Copper Lake sparks environmental, health concerns

Rangers hadn’t heard of fly-in tourism in the area — which can harm the wilderness and people downstream, advocates say.

Arlington
Man charged with dealing fentanyl pills that led to Arlington overdose

Prosecutors charged Robin Clariday with controlled substance homicide. He allegedly handed Bradley Herron the pills outside a hotel.

Lynnwood
Seattle woman identified in fatal Highway 99 crash

Elena Mroczek, 74, was killed Sunday in a crash involving a 19-year-old.

A memorial for a 15-year-old shot and killed last week is set up at a bus stop along Harrison Road on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Rival gang members charged with killing Everett boy, 15, at bus stop

The two suspects are accused of premeditated first-degree murder in the death of Bryan Tamayo-Franco, 15.