6 Apr Daily Shipmate

Monday, 6 April 2026

1945 - The first large-scale air assault by the Japanese against Allied ships operating off Okinawa, Japan, begins. About half of the 699 aircraft targeting the ships of the invasion force are kamikazes. Four suicide planes cause extensive damage to the destroyer Colhoun (DD-801), which is later scuttled, and kamikazes also send the tank landing ship LST-347 to the bottom. Two freighters carrying ammunition for the men fighting ashore are sunk, and 26 other vessels ranging in class from the light carrier San Jacinto (CVL-30) to a motor minesweeper are damaged during the air attack.

 

1972 - In response to the recent North Vietnamese offensive, President Richard M. Nixon reinstitutes the bombing campaign against North Vietnam, with Navy and Air Force aircraft launching massive air strikes on this date, the prelude to some of the most intense air actions of the Vietnam War. Over the course of the following week, naval aircraft flying from four carriers average 191 combat sorties per day. In addition, surface forces operating off the coast bombard advancing North Vietnamese troops, firing 117, 000 rounds in one month.

 

1977 - Capt Thomas Evans '74, USMC was lost when the AV-8 Harrier he was piloting crashed at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina. Thomas was co-captain of his high school basketball and baseball teams; at the Academy he “became an instant success in neither of them.” He was 25 years old and survived by his wife, 2-year-old son, parents and brother.

 

Content in “Today in Navy, Marine Corps and USNA Memorial Hall History” is generously provided by our partners and fellow alumni at the Naval History and Heritage Command and the Run to Honor SIG, which supplies the USNA Memorial Hall content. We are grateful for their partnership in preserving and sharing this history, and the Daily Shipmate is proud to serve as a distribution platform. You can learn more or provide feedback through their respective websites hyperlinked above.

Academy & Graduate happenings

The Naval Academy Athletic Association, in partnership with the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation, held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday for the new Navy Lacrosse Center, a 35,000-square-foot state-of-the-art training facility for Navy's men's and women's lacrosse programs.

 

Over 125 attendees were present, including U.S. Naval Academy leadership, Navy lacrosse coaches and student-athletes, major project supporters and dozens of Navy Lacrosse alumni.

 

“This facility will be a physical embodiment of the Naval Academy's commitment to athletic excellence, a commitment that the Foundation has a long history of supporting along with the Naval Academy Athletic Association,” stated U.S. Naval Academy Foundation and Alumni Association President and CEO Jeff Webb '95.

 

The facility will feature athletic training, rehabilitation and recovery, strength and conditioning, and nutrition areas. Additionally, the facility will feature a courtyard at the main entrance and head coach terrace outside their respective offices. A rooftop terrace overlooking the Severn River will provide a unique gathering space for recruits, alumni and team events.

 

The ceremony also featured remarks from U.S. Naval Academy Superintendent LtGen Michael Borgschulte '91, USMC, Director of Athletics Michael Kelly, and Navy Women's Lacrosse coach Cindy Timchal and Men's Lacrosse coach Joe Amplo.

 

“We build this for the young men and women who will walk through the doors here and to commit to getting better every single day. We build this for the challenges they face on the field, in the classroom, and in service to our country,” said Timchal. “And we build this together to our leadership, our supporters, our alumni and every Navy believer. Thank you.”

 

Coach Amplo echoed Timchal's remarks, reminding the midshipmen lacrosse players gathered at the event to stay focused on those who support and challenge them to grow. He emphasized the importance of surrounding themselves with teammates, mentors, and alumni who believe in them.

 

“Let today, let today act as a reminder that you don't need people that are going to distract you from chasing excellence,” said Amplo. All you need is the group of people that believe in you, the ones that sit beside you day by day. And as you chase those dreams, remember going after the impossible is a heck of a lot of fun.”

 

Amplo worked with former Navy Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk to start the process to raise money for a new Lacrosse facility shortly after he arrived as the new head coach in 2019. Since then, the Alumni Association and Foundation and the Naval Academy Athletic Association have been working with alumni who wanted to contribute to the project. That effort was marked by a leadership gift from an anonymous donor earmarked specifically for constructing a dedicated on-campus lacrosse facility.

 

Since then, several anonymous donors and Navy Lacrosse alumni have stepped forward to make Friday's groundbreaking a reality and a sign of the power of philanthropy at Navy.

 

The event concluded with a ceremonial dig to mark the official launch of construction. The three-story Center will serve as the premier lacrosse training facility in the country and will be located adjacent to the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.

 

“We are investing. We're building. We're demonstrating through action our belief in the physical mission and not only what it'll do on our fields and courts here for Navy athletics, but what it'll do for our country,” said Kelly. “Because at Navy, we truly believe that we represent what college sports is at its very best. Navy athletics is college sports at its best now and forever.”

An Alumni Health and Wellness Support Committee has been formed to help classes and chapters implement unique health and wellness programs that make sense for your teams.

 

Our Mission: To promote the physical, mental and emotional health of graduates, their families, and caregivers by advocating for and helping implement education, resources and programs that foster holistic well-being. We are independent from, but support, the Alumni Association & Foundation. Our team consists of 14 members, all with health and wellness experience in their classes, many of whom already have programs up and running—some for years. It is all about alumni helping alumni and leaving no one in our Navy family behind. The basic concept is that those in need raise their hand, and classmates help as they can. It is a beautiful thing when a hand goes up and is answered—it's like a continuous reunion. We also have a H&W Toolkit for class and chapter leadership located at the link below.

 

For more info or to join our team, call/email the following representatives:
Mitch Henderson '65 at 401-871-2030/dace222607@gmail.com or
Mike Stocks '72 at 202-213-2500/alton.stocks@gmail.com.

LtCol Amy McGrath '97, USMC (Ret.) will examine the accelerating shifts in U.S. foreign policy and their long-term implications for American security, economic stability, and democratic values, along with the recent developments and conflicts, such as Venezuela, Iran/the Middle East and Ukraine, and their potential consequences. After graduating from Annapolis, McGrath served as a Marine Corps F/A-18 fighter pilot and weapons system officer with 3 combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. She was the first woman in the Marine Corps to fly a combat mission. McGrath served in the Armed Forces for 24 years. After operational flying tours, she served as a Congressional Fellow advising on defense and foreign affairs to the House Armed Services Committee and subsequently was assigned to the Pentagon as a Marine Corps liaison to the State Department.

From the Podcast Fleet

Many assume the Naval Academy produces only Naval officers, but about 25% of each class commissions into the Marine Corps, deeply shaping life in Annapolis. Marines serve across the Yard—as professors, leaders and even a superintendent—bringing standards and culture that influence all midshipmen. Their impact extends beyond those pursuing the Marine path. The author, who never planned to become a Marine or join related programs, found Marines to be the most influential figures in their personal growth. Through genuine investment and mentorship, they made a lasting impression. This episode highlights those powerful experiences, sharing honest stories and even a few Marine impressions.

Government & Military News

A U.S. crew member who went missing when an F-15E fighter jet was shot down over a remote area of Iran was rescued by U.S. forces early Sunday morning local time, multiple U.S. officials told CBS News. The jet's pilot was rescued Friday. "WE GOT HIM!" President Trump confirmed in a Truth Social post. "My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!" The president said that the rescued officer had "sustained injuries, but he will be just fine."

President Donald Trump announced Friday that the U.S. could open the Strait of Hormuz with “a little more time” as the president continues to adjust his messaging on the passageway between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. Since the U.S.-Israel offensive in Iran began on Feb. 28, the Trump administration has not carried out a plan to open the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil flows. While the president talked Friday of opening the strait, on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put the onus on other countries to help commercial ships stuck in the Persian Gulf. Trump has also said the U.S. does not need the strait, although roughly 9 percent of petroleum comes from Gulf states, USNI News previously reported. The absence of safe passage for merchant vessels has led to uncertainty among the shipping industry, Cichen Shen, the Asia Pacific editor with shipping analysis Lloyd's List, said during a Thursday webinar.

“Welcome to the CavasShips Podcast with Christopher P. Cavas and Chris Servello '99…a weekly podcast looking at naval and maritime events and issues of the day – in the US, across the seas and around the world. This week…we dive into the week's war headlines, as well as the Pentagon budget release with USNI News's Sam La Grone and Mallory Shellborne.”

The U.S. Army's Portfolio Acquisition Executive Fires, in partnership with the U.S. Navy's Portfolio Acquisition Executive Strategic Systems Programs, conducted a successful launch of a common hypersonic missile from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on 26 March 2026. The Army and Navy partnership to field a common hypersonic missile across land- and sea-based platforms supports the National Defense Strategy by accelerating timelines, reducing costs, and delivering a highly survivable capability to defeat time-sensitive, heavily defended, and high-value targets at speeds exceeding Mach 5.

Local, Education & other academy news

Academy Securities, the nation's first Post-9/11 veteran owned and operated investment bank, today announced the addition of John Maguire '98 as Managing Director, Mergers & Acquisitions. Maguire joins Academy after 20 years of professional experience distinguished by a blend of executive operating leadership, corporate development expertise and extensive public sector service. At Academy, Mr. Maguire will specialize in high-growth, dual-use technology markets, including Emerging Technologies, Defense Tech and Cybersecurity. Mr. Maguire is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds advanced degrees from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management and Georgetown's McCourt School of Public Policy. He served as a senior staff member on the Senate Intelligence Committee and as a U.S. Navy Intelligence Officer.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday designed to limit how long athletes can play college sports and how often they can transfer between schools. The order directs the NCAA to create rules that mandate college athletes can play for "no more than a five-year period" and allows them to transfer schools only once before they graduate without having to sit out a season. The rule changes are scheduled to go into effect 1 August. A school that plays an athlete who doesn't meet these new limits could risk losing its federal funding. The order also states that the NCAA should update its rules to create a national registry for player agents and create policies that prevent schools from cutting scholarships or other opportunities for women's and Olympic sports in order to pay their athletes. "College sports cannot function without clear, agreed-upon rules concerning pay-for-play and player eligibility that can't be endlessly challenged in court, as is the case now," the White House said in a news release about the order.

The University of Wyoming has named Brigadier General Shane Reeves the 29th president of the state's lone four-year university. As dean of the Academic Board at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, Reeves has led more than 700 faculty and staff members across 13 academic departments with an annual budget of about $80 million. Reeves, a brigadier general with a 30-year military career, will retire from the Army to take the reins from UW President Ed Seidel in July. While Reeves has spent most of his career outside Wyoming, including deployment in support of combat operations in Iraq as a brigade judge advocate, he is a native of Rock Springs, WY. After graduating from Rock Springs High School in 1992. He was then commissioned as an armor officer at Fort Irwin, California, where he served in several positions.

Naval Academy Athletics News & Results

Army - Navy Star Series: Navy has won the Star Series

Navy leads 14-6-1 (Army - Volleyball, Men's Soccer, Women's Rugby, Women's Cross Country, Wrestling, Baseball. Navy - Men's Golf, Men's Cross Country, Sprint Football, Men's Rugby, Men's and Women's Swimming, Football, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Rifle, Gymnastics, Men's and Women's Basketball, Women's Tennis. Tie - Women's Soccer).

 

 

11 Apr - M. Outdoor Track & Field - West Point - TBA

11 Apr - W. Outdoor Track & Field - West Point - TBA

11 Apr - W. Lacrosse - Annapolis - 12:00 p.m.

11 Apr - M. Lacrosse - West Point - 2:30 p.m.

18 Apr - M. Tennis - Annapolis - 1:00 p.m.

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USNA AA&F resources & Links

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