Chapter Twenty-Two
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
“Happy Birthday, Missy!” exclaimed Tracy. “Just wanted to say that before things get too busy and I forget. I know that was one of your reasons for choosing today. Best birthday dayever, forever, right?” They were standing at the rear of the West Point Chapel with their dads and waiting anxiously for the first notes of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March to begin playing. Both girls were wearing their Army Dress White uniforms and they looked magnificent. These included epaulettes to display their second lieutenant rank insignia. They also were wearing miniature medals rather than ribbons.
Missy said, “Thanks, Tracy! This isourday and we willalwaysremember it for the rest of our lives.” She was right next to her father, just as Tracy was right next to hers.
Both men were wearing matching tuxedoes in a muted, cool blueish-gray color purposely similar to the academy’s cadet gray. Missy’s dad was wearing a dark red tie, matching cummerbund and dark red rose boutonniere while Tracy’s dad was wearing a dark yellow tie, matching cummerbund and dark yellow rose boutonniere.
Meanwhile, at the front of the chapel, Mike and John were also anxiously waiting. They both were wearing white tuxedo jackets with the same cadet gray trousers as the two brides’ fathers. Likewise, Mike’s tie, cummerbund and rose boutonniere were dark red and John’s were dark yellow.
Seated according to the elaborate seating plan were all the family members and guests. Tracy’s mother and granddad along with Mike’s parents, Michelle and Aaron were in the first row on the left while Missy’s mother, granddad, Patrick and Lila, Heather and Donald with Wendy and Wanda were in the first row on the right. They had been ushered in by Second Lieutenants Mitch Cooper and Gary Sabre. They would be joined by Missy and Tracy’s dads, of course, after both dads had escorted their daughters down the aisle.
Behind them, seated on both sides according to rank and status, were all the senior officers, civilian VIPs, close friends and a great many West Point classmates. All the military personnel were wearing their Dress Blue Uniforms.
Included were the current Defense Secretary, the former Defense Secretary, General Blake (the CENTCOM Commander), General Hingham (the EUCOM Commander), Lieutenant General Novak (the Superintendent at West Point), Brigadier General Chory (the SOD Group), Colonel Dzierzeski (the Chief of Staff at West Point), and the Vice Admiral who was the Superintendent at the Naval Academy.
There were a great many SOD Group officers including Lieutenant Colonel Schermerhorn, Lieutenant Colonel Lightfoot, Major Khan, and Captain Novikov. Also attending were Lieutenant Colonel Grady (General Hingham’s aide) and Major Sanders (Missy’s professor at West Point for Russian). Then there were several officers from the Naval Academy including Commander Robb, Lieutenant Commander Evans, and Lieutenant Brainard.
Other civilian VIPs were Drew Martinson, Dale Hewson, Charles Winward, Ted Hanson, Lee Cohen, Chad Vineberg,Robert Ulrey and his wife Connie, Ed Collingsworth, Congressman Nolan Miller and his wife Ayleen, a senator who was with Porsha Banning, plus some other senators and congressmen.
Then there were all those mobsters. Sal D’Amato and Ben Marchitto were there with two of their bodyguards, Donny Delgato and Billy Martin. Bruno Halloran and Billy Rosario had come up from Baltimore. Tracy’s buddies Vincent Corallo and Hands Harper had brought their bodyguards Clay Rossi and Frank Viella.
Amongst all the close friends were Mark and Alice Mathews, Lisa and Marie, Oliver and Candy Bessom, Les and Marsha Gooding, Smitty and Second Lieutenant Matti Brooks with her son Jacob and her aunt Shelley, Gene and Amanda Tremblay with their son Archie, Captain Bonomo and his wife Linda with their twins Jessie Junior and Jessica.
Fred and Anya Vautin had their daughter Lana and had brought more than thirty werewolf pack members with them. There were also over a dozen witches who had come including Millicent Pratt, Angelina Dangelmeyer and Desiree Yerger.
Finally, there were dozens of cadets and recent West Point graduates who had gotten to know Missy and Tracy as well as several recent Naval Academy graduates who had gotten to know Missy during her semester there. Yes, the chapel was completely filled and the anticipation which everyone was now feeling was very obvious.
There had been music playing for the past hour, while everyone had been entering and being seated. The West Point Chapel’s organ isconsidered theworld's largest church organ, boasting over 23,000 pipes and multiple consoles, making itone of the most massive musical instruments in any religious building. It started smaller in 1911 but grew through donations to its current immense size, holding the record for the most pipes in a house of worship.
And then, at last, when the organist got the signal that it was time, he switched to playing the wedding march song and the waiting was over. Everyone stood and turned to look back at the chapel’s main entrance. Since the chapel was two hundred feet in length, the procession of Tracy on her father’s arm followed by Missy on her father’s arm took more than three minutes.
Both brides were carrying beautiful flower bouquets and the spectacle made by this slow procession was awesome. Both girls were radiant and some very positive energy could be felt throughout the chapel by everyone as the two beautiful brides made their way up to where Chaplain Colonel Sager and their respective grooms John and Mike were waiting for them.
Upon arriving where John was waiting for her, Tracy turned to her father to receive a kiss. She then handed him her flower bouquet and turned back to John while her father made his way over to be in the front row with his wife. Tracy and John held hands as they moved to the left side, making room for Mike to come forward.
In military weddings, with the military member traditionally wearing their saber on their left side, their future spouse should stand on the side opposite the blade. Hence, John was on Tracy’s right. For this same reason, her father had been on her right side earlier when walking her down the aisle.
Missy and her father now came up and she received a kiss from him. Then, as he too accepted her flower bouquet andwalked over to be with his wife, she and Mike held hands as they moved over to the right side, making some room for Tracy and John to come back. Both couples were now facing Colonel Sager, still holding hands.
Now began the readings, two for Tracy and John and then two for Missy and Mike. These were given by fellow classmates rather than family members or any of the high-ranking guests. Second Lieutenants Sam Hermann and Valerie Lawrence did the readings for Tracy and then Second Lieutenants Kelsey Powers and Kelly Wong did the ones for Missy. The readings were beautiful and definitely set the mood for the vows which came next.
John had prepared the words for his vow and as he now read them to Tracy, she struggled not to cry tears of joy and happiness. She was very moved and it took her a moment before she pulled herself together and read the words for her own vow. She kept looking at John rather than at the paper where her words were written since she had memorized this. John too was very moved, both by her words and by her manner in saying them.
Mike then gave his vow, glancing up to look at Missy for most of the time and down only briefly to see the words he had chosen. He committed himself to her over and over, again and again. It was obvious to all how deeply he loved her.
Missy was happier than she had ever been, giving her vow. She professed her love for her soulmate and thanked God and the Fabulous Fates for bringing them together. She credited Mike for making her the person whom she had become and for helping her fulfill the destiny which she believed was meant for her to have.
Next was the exchanging of the rings. There were some laughs as John brought out the rings for Missy and Mike and handed those to Mike. After that, Mike then brought out the rings for Tracy and John and handed those to John. Each was the other groom’s best man, of course.
The rings were exchanged properly accompanied by all the correct words, namely: "With this ring, I thee wed", etc., etc.
Then, at last, Colonel Sager gave both couples his pronouncement of marriage and declared that each groom could now kiss his bride. As that was happening, the entire congregation erupted in cheers and clapping. The entire ceremony had been very impressive and it was now time to celebrate.
Tracy’s father and Missy’s father each came forward to hand their daughters their flower bouquets. Then John took Tracy by the arm and began slowly walking back towards the chapel entrance, both smiling at everyone as they did so. Mike and Missy were following right behind, also smiling and accepting the many accolades which were being given to them.
Before the two couples could reach the entrance, however, the photographers who had been taking photos and filming videos went outside and got into position. So too did the dozen officers who had been chosen by Captain Bonomo to conduct the traditional Arch of Sabers ceremony. These men and women were all recent West Point graduates. Each service member raised up their saber to create an arch for the newlyweds to walk under as they made their exit from the chapel.
