Prince William residents take in historic occasion

Presidential inaugurations could be old hat for Mike Hodge. He worked for the Secret Service for two decades, beginning in the Reagan administration.
But Tuesday’s swearing-in of President Barack Obama was different.

It was the first he attended as a political candidate — the Montclair resident is running for the Democratic nomination for a Virginia House of Delegates seat — and the first in which he could see a black man like himself take the oath of office to become the leader of the free world.

It was an exciting day punctuated by another touching speech by Obama, the man who is just what the country needs right now, said Hodge, manager of corporate security at Washington Gas.

“I think he covered all bases, and he was very inclusive,” he said.

Hodge was one of a number of Prince William area residents who braved chilly temperatures, packed roads and trains, and a crowd of perhaps a million spectators to see the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States.

The 47-year-old took the Virginia Railway Express here, arriving at the Washington Gas office across from the Capitol at 5 a.m.

He said the train had at least 50 percent more passengers than on a usual day. Of course, this was no usual day, which is why Hodge expected to arrive home sometime after 9 p.m. instead of at his usual 5:30 p.m.

However, Hodge said he was impressed by the patience of the crowds, some of whom arrived in the nation’s capital before even the normal morning rush hour.

So was Keith Scarborough, who chaired Obama’s campaign in Prince William County last year.

Scarborough got to a security checkpoint at 7:30 a.m. and had to wait in line for three hours before getting to a part of the Capitol grounds designated for guests with standing-room-only tickets.

“I’m glad I left early,” the Lake Ridge resident said.

Despite their long wait, the people in line with Scarborough were congenial and exchanged stories about their work for the campaign of the former senator from Illinois.

When they finally got to see their man speak, they weren’t disappointed, Scarborough said.

He said that he’s seen Obama give three or four speeches, but “this one was pretty special.”

It included a dose of reality about what the country faces, Scarborough said, and made clear that moving forward will require the involvement and service of all Americans.
That message also grabbed John Steinbach, who lives in Yorkshire.

No matter Obama’s charisma, Steinbach said, he can’t turn the U.S. around by himself.

“He’s not Superman,” said the freelance writer, who described himself as a lifelong independent.

But a visitor to Washington wouldn’t have known that by the crowds, which cheered wildly just as Obama said the last words of the oath, jeered outgoing President George W. Bush as he flew away in a helicopter, and held up signs including one that stated, “One nation under a groove.”

“It was overwhelming,” said Kyle Jacocks, a 43-year-old former Manassas resident who now lives in Midlothian. “It was amazing to see so many people to celebrate this inauguration.”

Joann Bagnerise of Dumfries was even more succinct in her appraisal of the transition of power.

“It was just a historically perfect day in America,” she said.

Staff writer Jonathan Hunley can be reached at 703-369-5738. Manassas Bureau Chief Keith Walker contributed to this story.