It's that time of year!

Congratulations to all the cadets and midshipmen that are soon to graduate and begin their military careers. It is great to see the happy faces on these kids as they close out a tough four years.

Kudos to the parents that have supported these high achievers. The ride is a hard one for all involved, but oh, so satisfying in the end.

Good luck to all of you, and thank you for your dedication to a life of service.

So at USAFA the firsties jump into the fountain upon completion of their last final as a cadet - what do the other SAs do? I am sure that there must be an equivalent right of passage... the sheer look of joy on their faces is spellbinding. Good luck to all graduates!

At USNA, it used to be going off the seawall into the Severn River, but given safety issues with the landfill rocks, tidal swell, river current and who-knows-what is down there, the jumping into something wet after the last parade of the year, in full parade drill uniform (never worn again) has varied over the last several years. I think it was Lejeune Pool for a while, then the Santee boat basin.

I am sure we’ll get a current update.

Capt MJ said:

the jumping into something wet after the last parade of the year, in full parade drill uniform (never worn again) has varied over the last several years

Click to expand...

Long , long ago, I went for a swim in Santee Basin with hundreds of Classmates... I remember ditching the Full Dress Blue jacket, thinking it would never be seen again. My fiancee' (now wife) and her mother saved it , brought it home and had it cleaned...revealing it years later. It's funny how that dip in the Severn caused it to shrink !