Okay so this is pretty bad it just shows how stoooopid these three particular guys are -
If I were trying to snark back in kind and less of a bigger man I'd probably say something like "Typical USCG and USCGA junk when they can't and don't have the facts or reality on their side, they just make stuff up....
someone please tell me when Joe Hazelwood taught at Kings Point?
Fact - it's not the USMMA guys who think they are in the military and are not - since as Midshipmen, USNR they are under the US Department of Defense i.e the "military". Mind you of all the crap in this video this is the one that I think is the silliest ... after all of the five Federal Service Academies can someone remind me which is the only one authorized and entitled to carry a battle standard?
As far as Military utility of graduates of the Federal Academies "right after graduation: - I'd argue that both are at schools and being trained to be better sea faring mariners and OODs than either Annapolis or NROTC O-1's. After all who do you think is a better mariner the day they graduate: a) a USMMA graduate with basically 300+ days aboard ship standing watches, etc and another 65 days on simulators, etc operating those vessels and systems; b) a USCGA graduate who has spent every summer working in and around vessels doing lost, and lots of practical seamanship things including a summer on the USCG EAGLE; of c) a USNA graduate O-1 who may have spent actually 3/4's of one whole summer doing the sorts of things the USCGA grad did while the others were spent being exposed to and trained in all the other things a JO will need to know and do? Mind you I'm not debating about what trains a better well rounded JO, but rather what makes a better mariner which I concede is straying somewhat from the attempted slight about the military... that said ask an experienced O-4/O-5 which of those three, if he's forced to do it because of of some large scale mobilization, who he'd be more willing and likely to trust on the bridge of a ship, warship or otherwise, all other things (maturity, etc.) being equal, on watch as OOD with what amounts to the rest of his career in his hands as Captain, Navigator, and/or XO of that vessel, and I bet 3 out of 4 would say the Ensign out of KP.... even if he had Joe Hazelwood, a NY Maritime grad and other faults aside basically a reasonably accomplished and highly experienced mariner before the Exxon Valdez accident, as a professor for some 3 or 4 credit course for one trimester.
Fact: technically no one majors in "Deck" of course the USCGA Cadets either don't know or understand that or more likely it didn't fit the alternate reality they were trying to craft with the video. I think they (USCGA grads) say silly stuff like this because they know that the average USMMA graduate with a Deck License who works in the Maritime Industry does indeed have a solid future and right out of the box makes a lot more than they will as an active duty O-1.... so why even care about this stuff? Also the best part of it is this year we get to beat them on their home field....
Fact: I bet the kid shown who as "Waitlisted by USCGA" - if he was, by the time he's a third classman truly understands how much better his options, opportunities and prospects are when he graduates out of USMMA then they would have been as a USCGA graduate with one of those great degrees in majors like "Government" or "Management" .... Not dissing them any worse then they diss'ed us but I can tell you 28 years out from graduation I still haven't seen anything - and I mean ANYTHING that would make me want to go back and trade my USMMA experience and degree for an equivalent USCGA one - so again this is just jealousy on their part in my mind...."
However since I'm not that kind of a snarky little minded person I won't say anything like that and I hope we Mariners all just let our performances on the fields, courts, diamonds and water this year do our talking for ourselves... After all isn't that what mature, self assured, self actualized leaders (military or otherwise) think you should do?
I do indeed hope the members of the current regiment use this "stoopid" prank/video by some arrogant Coasties as total motivation to chomp on some Bear backside not just this coming weekend but the rest of this whole year. As for responding in kind, with our own stupid video they can use for similar motivation I wouldn't do it.
BTW yesterday at the Alumni Golf event here in DC we ended up in a 4.5 - 4.5 tie and had a pleasant and enjoyable day that was capped with a very enjoyable joint dinner. Also even though I'm obviously an over-proud USMMA grad and supporter and I think that the Navy O-1 would be the least of the three school's graduates I'd want as OOD right out of school, in a Football game, after watching Navy-Maryland, I know who I'd pick for that one hands down....