CLEVELAND—As President Obama gives the State of the Union address tomorrow night, Marine Sgt. Joseph Collins will be in the audience.
“Gosh. It’s very nice, very swell. It`s humbling. I`m very fortunate,” said Collins, 27, who served four years in the military, including a tour in Iraq War. “It`s a big thing to actually see it in person. I never saw a president in person, and me being a veteran and whatnot, it`s going to be a big, epic event.”
Each U.S. representative and senator is given one guest ticket to the event each year.
District 11 Rep. Marcia Fudge gave her ticket to Collins.
“This is going to be my best ever State of the Union, knowing he is in that gallery. Knowing he feels proud to represent his country,” Fudge said.
“I just think we all need to say thank you in some way,” she said. “I happen to be in a position to say thank you in this way, but there are many, many ways to say thank you. And I hope people will take the time to do it.”
The past few days have been a whirlwind experience for Collins, who has only been the capitol once in his life. He admits, though, there’s one thing he’s especially anxious about.
“What to wear, what to wear,” Collins said. “Trying to figure out what to wear. I feel like a female a little bit, you know, what I`m going to put on today, you know.”
Collins is among 22 veterans invited to the President’s speech, including Marine Sgt. Joe Sykes.
“I’m just looking forward to meeting some of the people, meeting congressman Kucinich and being a part of history,” said Sykes, a Parma native.
Sykes, 32, served four years in the Marines, including a tour in the Iraq War.
As a future history teacher, Sykes said he’s excited to be a part of this historic even, so he can later pass that experience on to his students. He graduates from Cleveland State in December.
District 10 Rep. Dennis Kucinich is giving Sykes his guest ticket to the event, a ticket the representative usually gives to his wife.
“What better opportunity than to have somebody who served the country, who put his life on the line to be there to hear what the plans are for America,” Kucinich said. “Because, actually, without our veterans, without those who`ve served, we wouldn`t have the freedom that we have today.”