14 May Daily Shipmate

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

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.

1943 - The first group of 71 Women Marine officer candidates arrived at the U.S. Midshipmen School (Women's Reserve) at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The Navy's willingness to share training facilities enabled the Marine Corps to begin training Marine Corps Women's Reserve officers just one month after the creation of the MCWR was announced.

1966 - LT Richard Hastings '62, USN died on board the hospital ship USS Repose (AH 16) of injuries sustained when an aircraft struck the ramp of USS Ticonderoga (CV 14) on April 14. The aircraft carrier was operating off the coast of Vietnam at the time. He was an F-8 Crusader pilot who had only recently qualified as a landing signal officer. He was survived by his wife, parents, and sister.

ACADEMY & GRADUATE HAPPENINGS

In yesterday's Daily Shipmate, we included the fact page from USNA about the Herndon climb (which is happening for the class of 2028 today). An omission from that fact page is that the Class of 1975 owns the time record for the greased climb. Midshipman 4th Class Michael J. Maynard '75, scaled the monument with the help of his classmates and capped Herndon with a time of 20 minutes in May, 1972. This is the current standing record.

Welcome to another great episode of the Sing Second podcast. We bring you the stories and happenings at the Naval Academy and the Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation (AA&F). The Pod returns this week with an awesome interview with Ray Spicer about USNI – the history of the organization, their role on the yard, and how USNI supports Mids and Alumni in their mission. Plus, Chris and John love talking to their old bosses! USNI is hosting a big Speaker Series event on Shipbuilding at the Jack Taylor Conference Center May 14th. Make sure you check it out if you're in Annapolis. Free knowledge is the best knowledge. Chris and John also discuss the new DOD directive on libraries and books, the heartbreaking end of the season for Navy Baseball, a little Herndon trivia and we preview our live podcast with Chet Gladchuk Friday May 16th at 3:30pm at the Fluegel Alumni Center. Check it out. Beat Army ... always.

LISTEN ON

Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford University today announced its 2025 cohort of 84 new scholars. Knight-Hennessy Scholars is a multidisciplinary, multicultural graduate fellowship program across all seven schools at Stanford University. Knight-Hennessy scholars receive up to three years of financial support to pursue graduate studies at Stanford while engaging in experiences that prepare them to be visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders who address complex challenges facing the world. Lukas (Luke) Allard '16 graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in control systems engineering and received a master's degree in robotics from the University of Pennsylvania. Midn 1/c Brody Todd '25 is earning his bachelor's degree in honors robotics and control engineering from the United States Naval Academy, where he conducted research on robotic additive manufacturing (AM) as a Trident Scholar.

Capt. David Skarosi relieved Capt. Rick Burgess '96 and assumed duties as the commanding officer of Gerald R. Ford in a ceremony attended by Navy leadership, family, friends, and crew. “Serving as the Captain of Gerald R. Ford and leading the world's finest Sailors has been the privilege of my lifetime,” said Burgess. “This ship's extraordinary performance over the last two years is a testament to this talented crew and their ability to effectively employ the most capable, adaptable, and lethal combat platform in the world.” During the ceremony, Burgess was promoted to Rear Admiral (lower half) by Rear Adm. Douglas Verissimo, commander of Naval Air Force Atlantic. Burgess will soon assume command of Naval Aviation Warfare Development Center, the Navy's center of excellence for air combat training and tactics development, at Naval Air Station Fallon.

GOVERNMENT & MILITARY NEWS

Fort Hamilton and Bay Ridge will be front and center for the start of New York City Fleet Week on Wednesday morning, May 21. When the parade of military ships passes Fort Hamilton and sails under the Narrows-Verrazzano Bridge into New York Harbor, Fort Hamilton will roll out its Howitzer cannons and position them  to fire a traditional 11-gun salute as soon as the amphibious transport dock, USS New York, arrives in the waters near the base.  Among the other ships in the flotilla will be two large Coast Guard cutters, USCGC Calhoun and USCGC Sturgeon Bay, another Navy dock-landing ship, USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) and five YP crafts from the U.S. Naval Academy.  The event also celebrates the 250th birthdays of the Navy and the Marine Corps.

With 2025's peak PCS season approaching, the U.S. military's new contractor overseeing moves is providing suggestions to help families avoid mishaps. HomeSafe Alliance is the contractor that took over management of the Defense Department's household relocation process in recent months under the Global Household Goods Contract. HomeSafe and the military services began limiting the numbers of shipments under the contract, which leans on a new suite of apps, in March after delays and cancellations of moves. HomeSafe is "committed to listening to feedback, learning from each experience and continuously improving" while "modernizing and digitizing the relocation experience," HomeSafe spokesperson Meagan Perez said in a statement to Military.com.

Pope Leo XIV's father, Louis Marius Prevost, served in the Navy during World War II. Prevost was born on July 28, 1920, in Chicago. After graduating from college, he was commissioned in November 1943 and became the executive officer of a tank landing ship. He participated in the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, June 6, 1944, as part of Operation Overlord. He also commanded an infantry landing craft, which the Allies used to land infantry soldiers and Marines onto beaches during the war. The Normandy coastline did not have the port capacity for the enormous number of materials needed to keep the Allied momentum going. The Navy subsequently sent Prevost and other landing ships to southern France, as part of Operation Dragoon beginning Aug. 15, 1944.

LOCAL, EDUCATION & OTHER ACADEMY NEWS

Just in time for Commissioning Week, we are pleased to announce the launch of our exclusive Class of 2025 and Commissioning Week apparel lines, created in partnership with VSA. Each thoughtfully designed piece reflects the honor, courage, and commitment that define the enduring legacy of the Naval Academy. Inspired by the indomitable spirit captured by the 2025 class motto, "Morior Invictus — Death Before Defeat," these collections uniquely celebrate the resilience and achievements of the Class of 2025 who proudly answered when duty called. These specially crafted items are perfect for graduates, alumni, families, and friends eager to showcase their Navy spirit during the exciting events of Commissioning Week (May 14-23, 2025) and for years to come.

Welcome to the wild race for New Jersey governor, which features 11 candidates and is potentially the most competitive race for the state's top job in half a century. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, is stepping down in January after two terms, and six Democrats and five Republicans are vying in the June 10 primary for their party's nomination to succeed him. The drama of the race has increased significantly in recent days with the May 9 arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democrat accused of trespassing at Delaney Hall, the new migrant jail. Baraka is joined in the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nod by Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill '94, teachers union chief Sean Spiller, and former state Sen. Steve Sweeney.

Sen. Deb Fischer and Sen. Tim Sheehy '08 said President Trump's efforts to improve the U.S. missile defense systems are crucial to securing domestic security. Mr. Sheehy, Montana Republican and Senate Armed Services Committee member, said that Iron Dome cannot be copied and pasted onto the U.S., noting the major differences between America and Israel. “The challenges don't scale linearly with the size of Israel, which is the size of New Jersey, by the way. When you are talking space-based interlace defense systems and air defense, that's an almost exponential logarithmic relationship for size,” he said. “It's equivalent to taking the engineering challenges of moving a smart car across the parking lot to moving the heaviest-known weight object in man in the history of mankind.”

USNA AND AA&F EVENTS

MAY

14 May - Class of 2028 Herndon Climb

14 May - Shellback and Youngster cookout for '27

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

2 Jun - Colorado Chapter & NAPC of CO & WY Roadshow - Alpha Charlie's Tap & Tavern - 5:30 p.m.

10 Jun - Trauma Survivor Webinar. 7-9 p.m. ET

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 - 7:30 p.m.

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