1 May Daily Shipmate

Thursday, May 1, 2025

1983 - LT Robert Greer '79, USN was lost when the landing gear of his SH-2F helicopter collapsed while landing aboard USS Trippe (FF 1075) in the Red Sea, causing the aircraft to go over the side of the ship. He was a member of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 36. He was president of his high school class and became an Eagle Scout at age 14. Robert was survived by his wife, parents, sister, and two brothers.

 

2011 - President Barack Obama addresses the nation and announces that 23 Navy SEALs, from SEAL Team 6, raided Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed America's most wanted terrorist during Operation Neptune Spear.

ACADEMY & GRADUATE HAPPENINGS

The U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation (USNA AA&F) and the U.S. Naval Academy announced last month that the Columbarium—a popular and honored location for our alumni since its opening in 1987—is nearly out of available niches. Fewer than 20 new niches now remain at the Columbarium, and the USNA Memorial Affairs team estimates that the current Columbarium will reach capacity for new or first inurnments by the end of the summer of 2025. USNA AA&F, in close partnership with the Naval Academy, is actively working on plans to expand the Columbarium. The expansion project aims to ensure that alumni who wish to be inurned at the Academy will have the opportunity to do so.

Capstone Day 2025 took place Wednesday around the yard as 280+ first-class Midshipmen presented their projects on the last day of classes for the 2024-2025 Academic Year. Capstone projects are often supported by corporate sponsors and partners. Among sponsors in attendance at the Fluegel Alumni Center Tuesday Night (and pictured) were Black Sea, Northrop Grumman, HII, Lockheed Martin and General Atomics.  

The Patriots released long snapper Joe Cardona on Tuesday, as new head coach Mike Vrabel continues to move on from the previous regimes in New England. The 33-year-old Cardona was the longest-tenured member of the team, having spent his entire 10-year NFL career with the Patriots. Cardona was coming off one of his best seasons in 2024, when he tied his career-high with four tackles and also forced a fumble over 16 games. He was also a team captain for the first time of his career. Bill Belichick drafted Cardona in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft out the Navy. During his rookie season, he split time between the Patriots and working at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island.

GOVERNMENT & MILITARY NEWS

The Marines are closing in on their goal of having a full, fifth-generation fighter jet fleet. However, those new jets are still equipped with 1980s-era weapons technology. That's an area Marine aviation leaders such as Lt. Gen. Bradford Gering, deputy commandant for aviation, and Col. Derek Brannon, director of the Cunningham Group, are looking to industry for help. “We are killers, at the root, we are Marines,” Brannon told the audience at the Modern Day Marine military exposition in Washington on Wednesday.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday said federal civilian employees are entitled to their full salaries while on military leave during a national emergency, regardless of whether their duty is directly related to that emergency. The court in a 5-4 ruling, opens new tab penned by Justice Neil Gorsuch rejected the government's claim that military reservists are only entitled to a bump in pay when their duty is substantially connected to a specific emergency. The court revived claims by air traffic controller Nick Feliciano that the Federal Aviation Administration should have given him his full pay during a two-year period more than a decade ago when he was serving as a Coast Guard reservist.

Rear Adm. Christopher Nash '94 relieved Rear Adm. Thomas Wall as commander of Submarine Group (SUBGRU) 9 during a change of command ceremony held onboard Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Silverdale, Washington, April 29, 2025. Rear Adm. Chris Cavanaugh, commander, Naval Submarine Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet (SUBPAC), presided over the ceremony held in Deterrent Park—a full-length replica of the Lafayette-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Woodrow Wilson (SSBN 624) serving as backdrop.

LOCAL, EDUCATION & OTHER ACADEMY NEWS

Rear Admiral Christopher A. Nash '94 is a native of College Station, Texas, graduating with distinction from the United States Naval Academy in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering. He holds a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Post Graduate School and a Masters of Military Operational Art and Science from the Air Command and Staff College.

Are you an Umbraphile? This is the cruise for you! Embark on a 14-night journey aboard Oceania Cruises' Marina as we travel through the heart of Scandinavia and the North Atlantic, culminating in the breathtaking spectacle of the total solar eclipse.

 

Date: Jul 30-Aug 13, 2026

Starting Price: $5,699

Trip Length: 14 nights

Locations: Copenhagen, Denmark to Reykjavik, Iceland

Cruise line: Oceania Cruises | Marina.

J.P. McDonough '94, a decorated Marine Corps colonel and recent Commandant of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, has been selected as the next leader of Texas A&M University-Washington, DC and the Bush School DC. McDonough will begin June 1. “I'm honored to join the distinguished faculty and staff at the Bush School, and I share their commitment to the values and vision of its namesake, President George H.W. Bush,” McDonough said. “I'm excited to expand the school's presence in our nation's capital, supporting working professionals earning their master's degree here in D.C. And I'm thrilled to help expand opportunities for Aggies to experience our nation's capital.”

Originally from Frederick, Maryland, Abbey attended New Mexico Military Institute before coming to the U.S. Naval Academy, where she selected submarines for her service assignment. With a passion for long-distance running sparked in middle school, she pursued cross country throughout high school and now competes on the Club Marathon Team at the Academy. Her proudest achievement is her work on her Aerospace Engineering Capstone Project, which allowed her to apply technical skills and develop as a leader. Among her favorite memories is completing Sea Trials with her company. Her advice to incoming plebes is to lean on their classmates, focus on the basics, and stay connected to their purpose for being at the Academy.

NAVAL ACADEMY ATHLETICS NEWS & RESULTS

Yesterday's Result

Baseball at Virginia - L 5-1

Today's Matchup

Women's Lacrosse vs Army (Semifinal) - Baltimore, Md. - 7 p.m.

USNA AND AA&F EVENTS

MAY

1 May - USNA Foundation Spring BOD meeting, Fluegel Alumni Center

6-8 May - Class of 1957 - 70th Reunion

7-9 May - USNA Alumni Association Spring BOT Meeting, Fluegel Alumni Center

8-9 May - SACC Washington DC

12-18 May - Richmond, VA Navy Week

14 May - Class of 2028 Herndon Climb

14 May - U.S. Naval Institute “Correcting Course: Revitalizing the Shipbuilding Industry to Meet Strategic Demands” Speaker Panel - Jack C. Taylor Conference Center - 4:45 p.m.

16-18 May - USA Warriors Sled Hockey Event

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 Naval Academy Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony, NMCMS

26 May - Run to Honor - Reading the names of the fallen alumni heroes in Memorial Hall

26 May - Run to Honor Nationwide Walk/Runs

28 May - Debut of the new usna.com

 

JUNE

10 Jun -  Trauma Survivor Webinar: Living and Leading as a Survivor with RADM Dana Thomas - 7-9 p.m.

16-22 Jun - Anchorage, Alaska Navy Week

17-18 Jun - Entrepreneur Summit, Fluegel Alumni Center

25 Jun - Athletic & Scholarship Program Pre-I Day Reception, Fluegel Alumni Center

26 Jun - USNA Induction Day, Class of 2029

30 Jun-6 Jul - Duluth, Minnesota Navy Week

 

AUGUST

4-10 Aug - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Navy Week

7 Aug - Class of 2029 Plebe Parent Mixer, Fluegel

18 Aug - USNA Classes begin

18-24 Aug - Columbus, Ohio Navy Week

21-22 Aug - SACC San Diego

22 Aug - Friends of Navy Sailing Starting Gun Reception: Severn Sailing Association - 6 p.m.

23 Aug - Friends of Navy Sailing Supe brief, race and Sail Navy Banquet

24 Aug - Annapolis 10 Miler - Run to Honor is a charity partner

25-31 Aug - Springfield, Missouri Navy Week

28 Aug - Navy Football Brotherhood Weekend Kickoff Dinner w/ Football Coaching Staff

28-31 Aug - Class of 2010 15th Reunion

28-31 Aug - Class of 1960 65th Reunion

29 Aug - Navy Football Brotherhood Fallen Brothers Golf Classic & Evening Social

30 Aug - Navy Football Brotherhood Weekend Tailgater, NMCMS

30 Aug - Navy vs VMI, NMCMS, Annapolis, MD

 

SEPTEMBER

4 Sep - Distinguished Graduate Award (DGA) Medal Ceremony - Alumni Hall, 4:30 p.m.

4-6 Sep - Class of 2000 25th Reunion

6 Sep - Navy Football vs University of Alabama Birmingham, NMCMS, Annapolis, MD

13 Sep - Navy Football vs Tulsa, Tulsa, OK

14 Sep - Annapolis Travis Manion 9/11 Heroes Run

15-21 Sep - Wichita Falls, Texas Navy Week

18-19 Sep - McMullen Naval History Symposium - USNA

18-21 Sep - Class of 1985 - 40th Reunion

22-28 Sep - Hartford, CT Navy Week

25-27 Sep - Class of 2020 5th Reunion

26 Sep - Council of Annual Giving meeting - Fluegel Alumni Center

27 Sep - Navy Football vs Rice, NMCMS, Annapolis, MD

 

OCTOBER

2 Oct - President Circle Welcome Reception, Fluegel

2-4 Oct - President Circle Weekend

2-5 Oct - Class of 1990 35th Reunion

2-5 Oct - Class of 1995 30th Reunion

2-5 Oct - Class of 2015 10th Reunion

4 Oct - Navy Football vs Air Force, NMCMS, Annapolis, MD

10 Oct - USNA Founder's Day

11 Oct - Navy Football @ Temple, Lincoln Financial Stadium, Philadelphia, PA

13 Oct - U.S. Navy Birthday

13 Oct - Surface Navy Museum Grand Opening - Battleship Iowa - Los Angeles

23-26 Oct - Class of 1965 60th Reunion

23-26 Oct - Class of 1975 50th Reunion

23-26 Oct - Class of 2005 20th Reunion

25 Oct - Navy Football vs Florida Atlantic, NMCMS, Annapolis, MD

25 Oct - United States Naval Academy Homecoming

25 Oct - Welcome Home Event, Fluegel Alumni Center

25-31 - Eugene, Oregon Navy Week

 

NOVEMBER

1 Nov - Navy @ North Texas, DATCU Stadium, Denton TX

5-6 Nov - US Naval Academy Foundation Fall Board of Directors Reception/Meeting

6-9 Nov - Class of 1980 45th Reunion

8 Nov - Navy @ Notre Dame, Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN

10 Nov - Marine Corps Birthday

10-16  Nov - Santa Fe, New Mexico Navy Week.

14 Nov - US Naval Academy Athletic & Scholarship Program Fall Meeting, NMCMS

15 Nov - Navy vs University of South Florida, NMCMS

15 Nov - Honor Our Fallen Heroes - Location TBD

17 Nov - Council of Class Presidents Fall meeting, Fluegel

18-19 Nov - US Naval Academy Alumni Association Board of Trustee Fall Meeting, Fluegel

19-20 Nov - SACC Chicago

27 Nov - Navy Football @ University of Memphis, Liberty Bowl, Memphis, TN

 

DECEMBER

5/6 Dec - American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game, TBD

6 Dec - Distinguished Graduate Selection Committee Meeting, Fluegel, TBD

13 Dec - Army - Navy, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD