Wednesday, January 15, 2025
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This week's editions of Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation Morning Paper are brought to you by Otterson Wealth Advisors and Naval Academy graduate Caleb Cronic '11. Otterson Wealth Advisors of Raymond James is not just a team. It's a vast resource of financial knowledge, with each member bringing their unique expertise to your financial success. Caleb Cronic '11, financial advisor and Naval Academy graduate is a CIMA-certified pro. His strategic prowess is your asset working towards your financial goals. Ready to begin to your journey? Otterson Wealth Advisors … your goals, our expertise. (Otterson Advisors)
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TODAY IN NAVY, MARINE CORPS
AND USNA MEMORIAL HALL HISTORY
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1967 - LT Daniel Moran, Jr. '63, USN was killed in action when the A-4E Skyhawk (BuNo 151168) he was piloting was damaged by anti-aircraft fire during a strike about 10 miles southwest of Van Yen. He was able to eject alongside the search and rescue destroyer, but was dead when a boat crew pulled him from the water.
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ACADEMY & GRADUATE HAPPENINGS
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Chapter and Parent Club Roadshow Update
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The chapter and parent club roadshow kicked off the year along the Gulf Coast. Starting in Pensacola, TJ Grady '96, EVP of Engagement & Communications, joined Nancy Murray, Senior Director of Engagement, at a social with recent grads from the classes of 2022 to 2024. The connections these future aviators were making and witnessing the support they are providing one another showed the power of the Naval Academy alumni network. TJ and Nancy also met with the chapters and parent clubs in Pensacola, Mobile, Biloxi and New Orleans, wrapping up this evening in Atlanta at an event in conjunction with the Foundation and generously hosted by '02 parents, Jenny and Michael Messner. Not only are attendees learning more about the programs and services provided by the Alumni Association and making connections with one another, but we are learning how we can better support our alumni and parent communities. The Engagement team will be back on the road next month in Louisville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Columbus.
Schedule:
21 Feb - Louisville Chapter + NAPC of Kentucky Roadshow – Louisville, KY (**in support of Navy Men's Gymnastics competing at the Winter Cup Feb 21-23)
22 Feb - Indianapolis Chapter + NAPC of Indiana Roadshow – Fishers, IN)
23-Feb Cincinnati Chapter + NAPC of Greater Cincinnati Roadshow – West Chester, OH
24-Feb Columbus Chapter + NAPC of Central Ohio Roadshow – Dublin, OH
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Shawn James acquires TSi, driving market expansion and focus
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Shawn James '89 has acquired Transformation Systems Inc. (TSi), a Human Capital Services firm specializing in Workforce Development, Organizational Development, and Enterprise and Mission Performance Management services. James joined TSi in 2012 and now serves as President & CEO. James's background includes service as a naval officer and executive roles in notable defense industry organizations. He has worked with a range of government organizations throughout his career including the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army, and civilian agencies. “This acquisition moves the company into a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) status, creating an opportunity to impact our federal customer base, especially with veterans' programs,” said James. “TSi has exciting new capabilities to drive effectiveness for taxpayer investments while balancing workforce productivity and morale.”
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Hubble Reveals Surprising Spiral Shape of Galaxy Hosting Young Jet
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The night sky has always played a crucial role in navigation, from early ocean crossings to modern GPS. Besides stars, the United States Navy uses quasars as beacons. Quasars are distant galaxies with supermassive black holes, surrounded by brilliantly hot disks of swirling gas that can blast off jets of material. Following up on the groundbreaking 2020 discovery of newborn jets in a number of quasars, aspiring naval officer Olivia Achenbach of the United States Naval Academy has used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to reveal surprising properties of one of them, quasar J0742+2704. "The biggest surprise was seeing the distinct spiral shape in the Hubble Space Telescope images. At first I was worried I had made an error," said Achenbach, who made the discovery during the course of a four-week internship.
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Former NASA official, astronaut Bob Cabana receives top civilian award
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Robert Cabana '71, who served as a NASA associate administrator, astronaut, and a colonel in the United States Marine Corps, received the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service, recognizing his exceptional achievements and public service to the nation. The award, signed by President Biden, is the highest honor the federal government can grant to a federal civilian employee. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy presented Cabana with the award during a ceremony at NASA Headquarters in Washington on Jan. 10. Cabana most recently served as NASA's associate administrator, which is the agency's highest ranking civil servant, from 2021 until he retired from the agency at the end of 2023. Born in Minneapolis, Cabana graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He became a naval aviator and graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1981. In his career, Cabana logged over 7,000 hours in more than 50 different kinds of aircraft. He retired as a colonel from the U.S. Marine Corps in September 2000.
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GOVERNMENT & MILITARY NEWS
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In quiet shift, Marines allow mixed-gender DI teams to train recruits
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Last year, without fanfare or a formal announcement, the Marine Corps took a step a key leader had formerly said was not feasible due to manpower constraints, assembling teams of both male and female drill instructors to train recruit companies and platoons at its two boot camps. The Marine Corps Recruit Depots received a directive in December 2023 from the then-commander of Marine Corps Training and Education Command, Lt. Gen. Kevin Iiams, instructing boot camp staff to start building the teams, Lt. Col. Stephen Draper, TECOM branch head for individual training, told Marine Corps Times in an interview. “They were able to start in a matter of months,” Draper said. “I believe [Marine Corps Recruit Depot] San Diego was able to knock it out as early as Jan. 24.”
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SECAF Kendall, looking out to 2050, predicts war winners will be combatants with the best AI
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Artificial intelligence and autonomous systems will likely play an even more significant role in determining the outcome of future conflicts as the technology continues to evolve over the next 25 years, according to outgoing Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall. In a congressionally-mandated report submitted to lawmakers in December and set to be published Monday, Kendall outlined his prediction on what security environments and technological advancements will contribute to what both the Air and Space Forces will look like in the year 2050. “It is likely these areas of advanced military technology will be manifest through the increasingly widespread use of autonomy and automation, in all domains, but especially in space, in cyberspace, and in the air,” Kendall wrote in the report, titled “The Department of the Air Force in 2050.”
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LOCAL, EDUCATION & OTHER ACADEMY NEWS
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'This is a bipartisan solution': Sheehy says U.S. needs new strategies after Los Angeles wildfires
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U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Montana, said Monday he is working on bipartisan changes to how the U.S. fights wildfires after the death and destruction of the blazes that have swept through Los Angeles. The fires have killed 24 people (so far) and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings in some of the countries most affluent areas including Malibu and Pacific Palisades. Sheehy told CNN Monday he is talking to lawmakers from both political parties about a new national strategy related to fires. Sheehy is the founder of Belgrade-based aerial firefighting company Bridger Aerospace and told CNN he flew firefighting missions as recently as September. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy class of 2008 with a B.S. in History, Tim completed several deployments and hundreds of missions as a US Navy SEAL Officer and Team Leader, deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan, South America, and the Pacific region.
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St. John's College Spring Formal Lecture Series features Gen. John Allen '76
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St. John's College has announced its Spring formal lecture series on the Annapolis campus. On Friday evenings, members of the St. John's College community – alumni, friends, faculty, staff, students and neighbors — gather in the Francis Scott Key Auditorium to hear a lecture or concert from visiting scholars, artists, poets, or faculty. These events are offered free to the community. On February 19, General (Ret.) John R. Allen will deliver the Kristensen Memorial Lecture.
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AFA's Human Performance Lab helps cadets improve strength, durability
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The staff at the Human Performance Lab facilitate the physiological development and performance of U.S. Air Force Academy cadets. “We facilitate the development of future warfighters through the science and practice of high-performance approaches for building strength, durability and adaptability for mission dominance,” said Human Performance Lab Assistant Director Dr. Nicholas Dinan. The lab's services range from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DEXA, testing that assesses body composition to various aerobic and anaerobic fitness tests. The lab can measure a cadet's VO2 maximum, the maximum amount of oxygen the cadet can use during intense exercise. Another feature is an altitude control chamber that simulates oxygen-rich, or sea-level, and oxygen-depleted environments up to 18,000 feet.
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NAVAL ACADEMY ATHLETICS NEWS & RESULTS
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WEDNESDAY, JAN 15
Women's Basketball at Colgate - Hamilton, N.Y. - 11 a.m.
Men's Basketball v Colgate - Annapolis, Md. - 7 p.m.
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Army Leads 7-2. (Navy - M Rugby, M Cross Country; Army - Volleyball, Sprint Football, Golf, M Soccer, W Soccer, W Cross Country, W Rugby)
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REMAINING STAR MATCHUPS
1 Feb - Rifle - Annapolis - 9 a.m.
1 Feb - Gymnastics - West Point - 1 p.m.
1 Feb - Women's Indoor Track & Field - Annapolis - TBA
1 Feb - Men's Indoor Track & Field - West Point - TBA
15 Feb - Women's Basketball - Annapolis - 11 a.m.
15 Feb - Men's Basketball - Annapolis - 1:30 p.m.
16 Feb - Wrestling - West Point - 4 p.m.
15-16 Mar - Baseball - Annapolis - TBA
5 Apr - Women's Outdoor Track & Field - Annapolis - TBA
5 Apr - Men's Outdoor Track & Field - Annapolis - TBA
5 Apr - Women's Tennis - West Point - 10 a.m.
12 Apr - Men's Tennis - West Point - 1 p.m.
12 Apr - W. Lacrosse - West Point - 12:30 p.m.
12 Apr - M. Lacrosse - Annapolis - TBA
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JANUARY
13-17 Jan - Naval Academy AA&F Week of Gratitude
14 Jan - Louisiana Chapter & NAPC of Louisiana roadshow - Metairie, LA
15 Jan - Atlanta Chapter & NAPC of Georgia roadshow - Atlanta, GA
23 Jan - AA&F Women's Health Webinar - Zoom - 7 p.m. EST
FEBRUARY
6 Feb - USNA Ship Selection
15 Feb - Commissioning Week 101, Fluegel
21 Feb - 85th Brigade Boxing Finals
21 Feb - Louisville Chapter + NAPC of Kentucky Roadshow – Louisville, KY (**in support of Navy Men's Gymnastics competing at the Winter Cup Feb 21-23)
22 Feb - Indianapolis Chapter + NAPC of Indiana Roadshow – Fishers, IN)
23-Feb Cincinnati Chapter + NAPC of Greater Cincinnati Roadshow – West Chester, OH
24-Feb Columbus Chapter + NAPC of Central Ohio Roadshow – Dublin, OH
27 Feb - Naval Academy Entrepreneurs event, Fluegel, 5 - 9 p.m.
27 Feb - Astronaut Convocation, USNA
MARCH
7-16 Mar - USNA Spring Break
12-13 Mar - SACC Atlanta
21 Mar - Distinguished Graduate Award Ceremony and Dinner, USNA (T)
22 Mar - Distinguished Graduate Leadership Panel, Mahan, USNA
27-29 Mar - Naval Academy Minority Association, (NAMA) Leadership Forum
30-31 Mar - Volunteer Leader Summit
APRIL
5 Apr - Annapolis Cup - USNA v St. John's Croquet Match
10-12 Apr - Class of 1955 - 70th Reunion
11 Apr - Athletic & Scholarship Programs Spring Meeting - Fluegel Alumni Center
24 Apr - AA&F Vietnam Legacy of Valor Series Speaker Event - FAC
24-27 Apr - Class of 1970 - 55th Reunion
25 Apr - Council of Class Presidents Spring Meeting, Fluegel, TBD
25 Apr - USNA Dedication Parade, Worden Field
30 Apr - USNA Capstone Day
30 Apr - USNA Foundation Spring Board of Directors Welcome Reception
MAY
1 May - USNA Foundation Spring Board of Directors Meeting, Fluegel
6-8 May - Class of 1957 - 70th Reunion
7-9 May - USNA Alumni Association Spring Board of Trustees Meeting, Fluegel
8-9 May - SACC Washington DC
14 May - Class of 2028 Herndon Climb
21 May - Blue Angels CFR Event - Hospital Point, USNA
22 May - Color Parade, Worden Field
22 May - USNA Prizes & Awards, Alumni Hall, 2 p.m.
23 May - Class of 2025 Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony, NMCMS
JUNE
25 Jun - Athletic & Scholarship Program Pre-I Day Reception, Fluegel
26 Jun - USNA Induction Day, Class of 2029
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