10 July Daily Shipmate

Friday, 10 July 2026

Strengthening maritime partnerships in the Republic of Korea

U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen pose for a photo with RADM Jin-Hee Han, Deputy Commander of Republic of Korea Fleet, during a visit to Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea (CNFK) in Busan, Republic of Korea, 7 July 2026. CNFK is the U.S. Navy’s representative in the Republic of Korea, providing leadership and expertise in naval matters to improve institutional and operational effectiveness between the two navies and to strengthen collective security efforts in Korea and the region.

1943 - Naval forces under the overall command of ADM of the Fleet Sir Andrew B. Cunningham of the British Royal Navy support Operation Husky, putting troops ashore on Sicily. The Western Naval Task Force, under the command of VADM H. Kent Hewitt ’07, USN, lands the U.S. Seventh Army while the Eastern Naval Task Force, under the command of British VADM Sir Bertram H. Ramsay, lands the British Eighth Army. Axis aircraft attempt to disrupt the landings by attacking the invasion force, bombing the destroyer Maddox (DD-622), which rolls over and sinks in just two minutes. German bombs also sink the tank landing ship LST 313 and the minesweeper Sentinel (AM-113), which endures five separate air attacks. Fire from shore batteries damages the landing craft LCT 242.

 

1945 - The carriers of Task Force 38, under VADM John S. McCain ’06, USN, launch air strikes against Japanese airfields around Tokyo.

 

1969 - PFC David Peppin, Jr. ’69, USMC, was killed in action with North Vietnamese forces in the Quang Nam province; he was a member of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. He left the Naval Academy when he contracted double pneumonia during plebe summer and then enlisted in the Marine Corps several years later. Recognizing his intellect and abilities, the Marines presented him with the opportunity to attend OCS as an officer candidate. Not wanting to leave the Marines he had bonded with during basic training, he declined the opportunity and soon after departed for Vietnam. He had been in the country only since May. David was survived by his parents and at least one sister.

 

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

Thank you to the alumni, parents and friends whose generosity strengthened the Naval Academy throughout the past year. Our new 2025 Donor Report celebrates your impact through inspiring stories, campus highlights and donor recognition. View it online today, and look for your printed copy arriving soon.

Eight midshipmen recently completed a transformative 10-day leadership expedition with the Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School (CBOBS), putting classroom leadership concepts into practice in some of the Mid-Atlantic’s most challenging outdoor environments.

 

As part of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Experiential Leadership Development program, the Outward Bound expedition challenged participants to lead, communicate, and work as a team while navigating the uncertainty and demands of the wilderness. The program is designed to complement the Academy’s formal leadership curriculum by immersing midshipmen in situations that require real-time decision-making, resilience, accountability, and mutual trust. These experiential leadership opportunities are made possible through alumni philanthropy and donor support, which expand opportunities for midshipmen to learn and grow beyond the classroom.

 

From 26 June to 5 July, Midshipmen Aiden Cartier, Carson Poulos, Cassandra Adams, Robin Harrison, Nadia Liesen, Liam Plum, Noah Hernandez and Isabella McCutchan spent five days canoeing along the Potomac River on the Maryland–West Virginia border before transitioning to five days of backpacking through the rugged Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia.

 

Throughout the expedition, the mids carried their own equipment, navigated unfamiliar terrain, managed camp operations, and worked together to overcome physical and mental challenges. The experience required them to rely on one another while practicing the leadership principles they will need as future naval officers.

 

Founded in 1986, the Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School serves students across Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia through wilderness-based educational programs centered on character development, leadership, and service. Part of the broader international Outward Bound movement, CBOBS uses expeditionary learning to help participants discover their capabilities through challenge, reflection, and teamwork. Today, its courses span the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the Appalachian region, and the Potomac River corridor, providing immersive opportunities for growth in the outdoors.

 

The Outward Bound program is one of several initiatives within the Naval Academy’s Experiential Leadership Development portfolio, which bridges the gap between leadership theory and practice. By placing midshipmen in austere, unpredictable environments where decisions carry immediate consequences, these experiences help develop the adaptability, confidence, and teamwork required of future Navy and Marine Corps leaders.

 

For the eight midshipmen who spent 10 days paddling rivers, traversing mountain wilderness, and supporting one another through every challenge, the expedition provided far more than an outdoor adventure—it offered a powerful lesson in leadership in action.

Calling all regular members of the USNA Alumni Association: This is your final call for nominations for the Mid-Atlantic and Western Regional Trustees on the USNA Alumni Association Board of Trustees. Any regular members should use the nomination form to make their nominations no later than 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, 15 July 2026. Mid-Atlantic and Western regional trustees will be elected by the regular members in their region by electronic ballot in spring 2027. Regional trustees must reside in the region they represent for the duration of their three-year terms, from May 2027 to May 2030. Any regular member of the Alumni Association in good standing may nominate any regular member in good standing (including themselves, and including eligible members outside their own region) during the nomination window to be considered as a candidate. As always, we encourage nominees who represent our alumni community’s great variety of experience and background. Make your voice heard in our community by nominating a regional trustee! Please contact the Board Secretary Wes Huey ’87 with questions and comments.

Thursday marked the end of an extraordinary chapter of service as CDR Ashley Hockycko ’01, USN, completed her final day in uniform after more than 20 years of active-duty service to the United States Navy. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Class of 2001, Hockycko earned her Wings of Gold as a Naval Flight Officer in 2003 and began a distinguished career in the F/A-18 community. After attending the Harvard Kennedy School for graduate studies, she transitioned to the Navy Public Affairs community, where she found a new way to serve—telling the stories of Sailors, Marines, and the institutions that shape our Navy. Since 2023, Hockycko has served as the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Naval Academy, where she has been a trusted advisor, communicator, and ambassador for the Academy. Her leadership helped strengthen engagement with midshipmen, alumni, media, and the broader Naval Academy community while ensuring that the Academy’s mission and impact were effectively shared with audiences around the world. She and her husband, Ken Hockycko ’00, together with their three children, will continue to call Annapolis home. As proud members of the Naval Academy family, they remain devoted supporters and lifelong Navy fans. On behalf of the Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation and the entire Naval Academy community, we thank Ashley for her decades of dedicated service, leadership, and friendship. We wish her and her family fair winds and following seas as they begin this next chapter.

Government & Military News

The transition from military service to civilian life is one of the most defining moments in a veteran’s life. While it opens the door to new opportunities, it can also bring financial uncertainty as veterans build new careers, support their families and adapt to a new way of life. To help veterans navigate that critical chapter, USAA and Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) today announced the launch of Warrior Secure Start, a five-year initiative backed by a $5 million investment from USAA. Purpose-built for veterans during the first 24 months after military service, the program combines personalized financial education, one-on-one coaching and a one-time empowerment grant of $1,000 that participants unlock by completing key learning milestones, helping veterans turn financial uncertainty into long-term financial resilience.

Local, Education & other academy news

NNSA Administrator Brandon M. Williams pays tribute to ADM Hyman G. Rickover ’22, USN (Ret.), the pivotal figure in developing nuclear propulsion for the U.S. Navy recognized as the "Father of the Nuclear Navy", whose leadership and innovations significantly enhanced U.S. national security during the Cold War and beyond. Rickover’s death 40 years ago today (8 July) marked the passing of one of America’s national security titans, a man who shaped the future to his vision through sheer force of will. Together with J. Robert Oppenheimer, he was one of the chief architects of the nuclear age, ushering into being a new paradigm that remains a defining element of our nation’s defense. As the “Father of the Nuclear Navy,” Rickover pioneered a technology no less revolutionary to nautical science than the sail, the keel, or the magnetic compass. In doing so, he assured the survivability of the United States’ second-strike force during the most perilous years of the Cold War, contributing indispensably to our country’s defense. That the American people passed unscathed through this period is due in no small measure to Rickover’s extraordinary prescience and tenacity.

Navy men's soccer head coach John Hackworth announced the team's full schedule for the upcoming 2026 season on Wednesday, highlighted by a seven-game home slate. Playing an 18-game regular-season campaign, the Midshipmen open the fall with a trip to California before returning to Maryland for four-straight games. "We are excited about opening our season in San Diego and then playing strong regional competition," said Hackworth. "That will help prepare us for our main objective of the Patriot League, highlighted by us facing Army in Philadelphia once again." The 106th campaign of Navy Soccer begins on Thursday, Aug. 20 when the Mids travel to the Pacific coast for a meeting at UC San Diego and follow it with an Aug. 23 crosstown match at San Diego State.

 

The Department of the Air Force has restored funding for 26 civilian faculty positions at the U.S. Air Force Academy and approved an exemption to the department's hiring freeze for academic faculty and training instructors, according to a letter from Air Force Secretary Troy E. Meink to U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank. Rep. Crank posted the letter to social media Wednesday night. In the letter, Meink said the department reviewed its Fiscal Year 2026 workforce optimization reduction plan and determined that staffing allocations at the academy needed to be adjusted. The decision restored funding for 26 civilian faculty positions to support academy operations. "We continue to analyze USAFA manning needs and plan for potential funding adjustment(s) in the next fiscal years," Meink wrote. The secretary also said the Department of the Air Force Strategic Hiring Committee approved a categorical exemption from the hiring freeze for academic faculty and training instructors. The exemption gives the academy superintendent authority to hire for funded requirements.

USNA and AA&F Events

USNA AA&F resources & Links

Login to MyUSNA | Daily Shipmate Archives | USNA AA&F Obituaries