As previously noted, I stopped at the Naval Academy while on my way home from Wallops Island. As they were getting ready for their parade. I thought I would stay and watch it.
I have not been to USNA for a very long time. Outwardly, it looks as historic and beautiful as it ever did. The midshipmen looked young-too damn young-but their eyes were full of the idealism that fills a 20 year old who is proud of doing something different and in concert with other young men. They had the same pride I did 30 years ago-feeling as if I was unique.
But then of course, I had to remind myself of the other side of the story-the continuing compromises that the Academy and my own beloved alma mater have made to appease the gods of diversity. When women demanded entry into the service academies and men a lot smarter than me, correctly pointed out it would forever ruin the "system"-women said all they wanted was to be treated exactly like the men. Smart people knew better. And now 30 years later they have succeeded in irrevocably changing the institution. And its not for the better.
This weekend was the reunion of the class of 69. Unlike today's breed-they could feel strongly that their experience, while different, was at least common to that their predecessors had gone through. The plebe system, the rites of passage, the common bond that gets established by a shared trial.
It still looks impressive-however my view of the USNA is colored by the knowledge of what it has given up. Which has been very well documented by Professor Bruce Fleming. He's exposed the fact that the emperor has no clothes. That there are two admission standards at the Naval Academy-one for women and minorities and a different one for white men. He was suitably retaliated against for that this fall -for telling the truth-were it not for tenure he probably would have been fired.
It still looks on the surface like it might have 30 years ago-but knowing folks tell me its radically different. So i guess I should count my blessings that I had to be a Cadet when it was a good experience.
Here are the pictures:
Bancroft Hall
One of the things that suprised me was that the Academy had both a US Navy band and a midshipmen band. Do they really need both? With a student body of 4400, they ought to be able to put together a band. It would seem to me that it would make more sense to use the Navy band where it could better support the fleet.
Taking the field.
As I watched the Mids on the parade ground, I was suprised ( not really) at how many women held battalion, regimental and company command. It was far out of whack with the Academy's demographics. Women only make up about 15 % of the brigrade ( a number too high in and of itself), but by my quick math, greater than 40% of the cadets in command were women. I'm sure there is no favoritism at play here. š
Sitting next to us was a LCDR who was a selected recall reservist- he was an instructor at the Academy. 14000 Sailors posted to Iraq and Afghanistan to do Army work-and the Navy can still find the ability to use reservists at the USNA? Don't get me wrong-he was a very nice guy and was most patient as people asked him questions. His daughter was seeing her first parade though-and she was a joy to watch:
The colors were brought forward:
I mentioned too that the class of 69 was having it's reunion this particular weekend:
Catching up-noting the ravages of time.
And finally one more shot of the brigade:
which one is you?
None of the above.