united-states-naval-academy

"William F. Halsey, Jr., wasn't destined for academic stardom at the Naval Academy, but he applied himself just enough to make respectable marks without adversely affecting his preferred social and athletic pursuits. Once, when Halsey came dangerously close to failing theoretical mechanics, his father strongly advised him to drop football. That, of course, was out of the question. Instead, Bill recruited the scholars in his class to tutor him and a few others similarly challenged. When the exam was over, Bill went to his father's quarters for lunch and was immediately asked if the results had been posted. "Yes, sir," Bill answered, and then reported that he had made 3.98 out of 4.0. His father stared at him for a full minute and finally asked incredulously, "Sir, have you been drinking?""

"The class of 1904 has several distinctions: we were the last to enter the Academy with less than 100 men, the last to be designated "naval cadets" instead of "midshipmen," and the last that never lived in Bancroft Hall, the present dormitory. On the other hand, we were the first whose senior cadet officer was a five-striper. My first year at the Academy- my plebe, or fourth-class year- the cadet body totaled only 238, or enough for a battalion, which was commanded by a four-striper; but by my first-class year we totaled more than 600, enough for a regiment, and the cadet commander sprouted another stripe. I was not he. I never had more than the two stripes that went with my duties as the adjutant of the second battalion."

"My football was confined to the scrubs, the "Hustlers," for the first two years, but just before the opening game of the 1902 season, the regular fullback was badly injured and I was put in. I kept the job that season and the next, my last. Here is as good a place as any to state that those two teams were probably the poorest that the Academy ever produced, but poor as they were, they were no poorer than their fullback. More than forty years later, General of the Army Eisenhower, whom I had never met before, came up to me in Fleet Admiral King's office in Washington. His remark was not, "I'm glad to meet you," or, "How are you?" but, "Admiral, they tell me you claim to be the worst fullback that ever went to the Naval Academy." I wasn't sure what this was leading to, so my answer was a bit truculent. "Yes. That's true. What about it?" Eisenhower laughed and stuck out his hand. "I want you to meet the worst halfback that ever went to the Military Academy!"

"Much has been written in the national and local news about the 381 books that were removed from the Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy before a visit from Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary. The stated impetus for the removal of these books was an order from Secretary Hegseth regarding compliance with President Trump’s Executive Order from January 20, 2025, regarding diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. The order is broad and general, using wording that can be interpreted in many ways. It does not mention books, publications or press at all. Many of the removed books are not specifically about diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI. However, many are by authors who are Black, LGBTQIA+, female, or anyone who is not a white, heterosexual male. In many cases, the books are academic analysis of historical movements, situations and experiences that have brought the country to where it is today."

"The members of the community surrounding USNA took the removal of nearly 400 books personally, reacting with surprise and concern. Staff and customers at Anne Arundel County Public Library (AACPL), whose service area includes USNA and the City of Annapolis, immediately spoke out and began working to help provide access to the diverse materials. As a Book Sanctuary, AACPL is committed to fighting for the freedom to read and maintain a well curated collection with many diverse viewpoints. The Annapolis Book Club staged a read aloud of one of the removed books, Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” at a local park that is less than a mile from USNA. The book is a memoir of by the famous Black author who describes the racism, classism, and abuse that she endures during her lifetime growing up in the South and then moving to California in her later years. Another group, including authors, civil rights leaders, military veterans, LGBTQIA+ advocates and elected officials protested outside the main gate of the Academy the same week demanding that the books be reinstated. The downtown entrance is usually open to the public with proper identification during certain hours, but it was locked during the protest."

"Annapolitan William Marks, a retired Navy commander, is organizing a campaign called “Operation Caged Bird,” a reference to Maya Angelou’s book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” He is working with Jinny Amundson, owner of Old Fox Books in Annapolis to get the books into the hands of midshipmen during the upcoming Commissioning Week at the end of May. Their efforts have raised over $40,000 so far and gathered a contingent of volunteers. Many AACPL customers started asking if they could donate books so the midshipmen can have access to them. AACPL doesn’t accept book donations, but anyone who lives or works in Maryland can get a library card at AACPL. Midshipmen, instructors and USNA staff, and other community members who live on the Naval Academy property can get library cards at AACPL – and many have! Over the past month, AACPL has received an influx of online applications for virtual library cards from people affiliated with USNA and this doesn’t include people who just walked into the library to get a card. AACPL owns some of the books that were pulled from Nimitz Library, and others can be requested through interlibrary loan. AACPL was already working with midshipmen volunteers and doing outreach to USNA, and this has only increased the staff’s motivation to let the USNA community know what the public library has to offer. This has become more important due to the recent removal of categories of materials at the college library. The public library is ready to step up and stand by the values of intellectual freedom when faced with barriers that limit access for members of the community."

"King's oaken hull began to split in 1947, when he suffered a stroke. His mind remained alert, but his iron-plated timbers began to creak and sag. He moved into a suite at Bethesda Naval Hospital for full-time care, and at one point he shared a floor with the acutely depressed James Forrestal, who ended his life by jumping from the sixteenth-floor window in 1949. King spent the next seven summers at the naval hospital in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He slipped his moorings and sailed over the bar on June 25, 1956, at the age of seventy-eight. He was buried at Annapolis, home of the United States Naval Academy. The only hymn sung at his funeral was a Navy anthem, an old favorite of Roosevelt's: "Eternal Father, Strong to Save.""

"To the Class of 1901, United States Naval Academy."

"Now colleges from sea to sea May sing of colors true But who has better right than we To hoist a symbol hue For sailors brave in battle fair Since fighting days of old Have proved the sailor's right to wear The Navy Blue and Gold"

"So hoist our colors, hoist them high And vow allegiance true So long as sunset gilds the sky Above the ocean blue Unlowered shall those colors be Whatever fate they meet So glorious in victory Triumphant in defeat"

"Four years together by the Bay Whеre Severn joins thе tide Then by the Service called away We're scattered far and wide But still when two or three shall meet And old tales be retold From low to highest in the Fleet We'll pledge the Blue and Gold"

"There were a lot of people who were willing to write a letter for me. Not because I was academically inclined, but because I worked hard."

"I didn't realize it at the time, but it became apparent to me later, that I had just experienced the most incredible lesson in leadership that I would ever experience: a Navy captain, who was in charge of the entire day-to-day operations of the Naval Academy, took the time to reach down deep into that organization and drag an individual up who was having trouble and try to instill in that individual a little bit of self-discipline and self-confidence. He knew my uncle, obviously, but I felt he would have done this for anyone in my predicament regardless of who his relatives were."

"The admirals' academy careers are a study in contrasts. King made the best record. He was one of the lucky plebes who reached the Caribbean during the Spanish-American War, although he missed the Battle of Santiago. A star man in academic standing and a member of the junior varsity football team, the Hustlers, throughout his four years at the academy, in his first-class year he was chosen to command the battalion and graduated number four in a class of sixty-seven. His last year was dangerous, however. Put on report three times for smoking, he narrowly escaped a spell in the Santee and invited much more serious trouble by Frenching out to visit a girl in Annapolis. On one occasion a friend, learning of an unscheduled inspection at 10:00pm, loyally frenched out himself to bring King back on time. A few years later King was assigned to the Executive Department at the academy. At dinner with the midshipmen in Bancroft Hall one evening he was asked if he had ever frenched out. He admitted that he had. The next question was, "Did you ever get caught?" "No," King replied, "but I almost did." "How did you manage not to?" the midshipman persisted. "I am afraid I cannot tell you now," King parried, "but when you graduate, come out to my house and I will give you a drink and tell you how to French out and not be caught.""