Midshipman

I was born on September 1st 2001, I was a happy baby ready for the world to come. I was a very energetic I always wanted to know what was happening. Some of my favorite memories of me with my family were (and still are) the long road trips we do to San Diego. Also I really enjoyed flying to Connecticut to see my mom's side of the family. In the Hollister history the best road trip was when the car broke down just before the Grape Vine ( it is a big hill just before LA). We had to pull over and where in a Starbucks parking lot for around 4 hours figuring out what happened, (the transmission blew) and flushing the transmission fluid. We left for the Grape Vine at eleven o'clock. We had to flush the fluid around 4 times. The entire trip took sixteen hours and we got to San Diego at six o’clock. My dad had a Porsche we was fixing up. So one day I went with him to a shop in Santa Clara, it was a small shop run by maybe 3 to 5 people. But the owner of the shop was very nice. We happened to get on the topic of what my brother Nick and I wanted to do when we were older. As most 9 year old boys would say, I said, “I want to be a spaceman!” The man (I am drawing a blank on his name) said, “Have you ever looked into the Microsoft flight simulator that just came out? You should get it because flying is a big part of going to space.” At that instant I started thinking how cool it would be to pretend to fly a plane on a computer was. But after that I thought of flying real planes, and…

As my youth Pastor told me when I told him about my problem with drinking, I need to find a support system. I have to quit lying to myself and saying that I don’t need help and that this is not a big deal. Drinking is a big deal and hard to overcome when faced with an extensive amount of stress but the first step is identifying the cause. On top of the reasons I have listed already, I am experiencing a level of being homesick and distrustful. I feel as if I cannot trust any of the Midshipman…

all freedoms that Americans have. America is truly the best country because of the freedoms we grant to every citizen; without these fundamental ideas, America would not be what it is today. Attending the Naval Academy would allow me to protect the freedoms of Americans and to become the best person I can be. I thought that I wanted to attend the Naval Academy before Summer Seminar; after spending a week there, I knew it was the place for me. The beautiful view during the morning workouts,…

David Farragut David Farragut’s full birth name is James Glasgow Farragut. He was born on July 5, 1801 at Campbell’s Station, but then as a baby moved to New Orleans, and spent his childhood there. (Tucker) When he was in New orleans, Commodore David Porter became his guardian after being so grateful to his family for providing him comfort. He looked after James while he was growing up and took him along and trained him as a naval officer. When James was nine, Porter had made his new adopted…

During the Second World War there were many efforts into attaining victory for the Allied forces. Led by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Admiral Raymond A. Spruance played a vital role in the success of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific front. Admiral Spruance of the United States Navy was one of these vital leaders who changed the tides of the battle with his set of leadership skills. The beginning of his career was when Spruance entered the US Naval Academy 1902. He graduated on September 13th 1906,…

Honor, Courage, and Commitment have been the corner stone of my personal and professional life. These values were instilled in me over two decades ago as a freshman NROTC midshipman at Miami University. Following graduation I was assigned to Naval Flight Officer Training in Pensacola, Florida. After completion of flight training, I was assigned to Patrol Squadron Four, in Marine Corp Air Base Kaneohe Bay Hi. While assigned to my squadron I had the privilege of serving in the Fifth Fleet AOR…

Superhero Sighting in White Rock Check your tide chart, grab your sunscreen and plot a course for the intertidal zone at White Rock Beach. There amongst the hermit crabs, barnacles, periwinkles and sea stars, you’ll spot them. Although they may not be wearing capes and masks, these modern day aspiring scientists are heroes to me. Each summer, the Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society Beach Hero Marine Interpreters offer free guided walks at Crescent Beach and White Rock Beach. Under their expert…

As I try to reconstruct the events of Induction Day at the United States Naval Academy, I can only piece together small clearings in the fog. It was a whirlwind of activity and heat and fog. My brother was a second-class midshipman at the time which gave me a false sense of confidence for what was to come. My day began at 0530 on the morning of July 1, 2014. I put on my “Don’t give up the ship” t-shirt (which turned out to be a mistake as a slew of jokes were made on my behalf during the issuing…

Chūichi Nagumo was born in 1887, in 1908 Nagumo graduated from IJN Academy (Japanese Naval Academy) and ranked #8 out of 191 cadets. Nagumo served and protected the, Cruisers Soya, and the Niitaka as a midshipman. By December 15, 1917 he was assigned his first command, a destroyer. A few years later in 1920, Nagumo graduated from Naval College with a specialty of, Torpedo, and Destroyers tactics and was promoted Lieutenant Commander. Upon his graduation in 1920, Nagumo was assigned mission to…

I never really considered going to the Naval Academy until I was contacted by the volleyball coaches this spring. Initially, I dismissed the email, but then my father told me about the academic excellence and character development of the Academy, and I decided to look further into it. In April, I had the privilege to visit the Yard and witness the character of the Brigade and experience the dedication of each Midshipman to becoming the best version of him or herself in athletics, academics,…