1 July 2009

Induction (I) Day for the Class of 2013

United States Naval Academy

Annapolis, Maryland

Classmates,

As of this writing there are 42 of us, 65 with wives and significant others, planning to gather a week from today, Wednesday the 1^st of July, to witness the swearing in of the class of 2013, our link in the chain class. The schedule of events as I know them to date is:

Picnic At 1030 a picnic for parents of entrants and our class will be held on Warden Field across from Alumni Hall. There will be picnic fare and soft drinks offered. The cost of admission for you and your wife or guest will be covered from class funds. Just check in at the reception table, pick up your name tag and check off as being present. This is a great opportunity to meet parents of the class of 2013, and perhaps to renew acquaintances from the various events around the country that you may have attended as part of local send-offs for the incoming class. Past classes have remarked that this is a rewarding experience for all, a chance to tell tales of your own experiences at the Academy and to allay some of the fears of parents about to say farewell to their new midshipmen until the end of plebe summer. Uniform for the picnic is casual wear. Remember that it can be hot and muggy in Annapolis at this time of year.

Re-enactment of our swearing-in in Memorial Hall At 1615 we will gather at the seaward end of Memorial Hall to get ready for a short ceremony (beginning at 1630) to commemorate our taking the oath of office as Midshipmen fifty years ago and to pay remembrance to our classmates who died while on active duty and whose names are enshrined in Memorial Hall. We will fall into four ranks of ten. The roll will be called and each person will respond “Present for duty”. The roll will be called a second time using the names of our 28 deceased classmates. Those having a slip of paper with that name will respond “Present for duty”. On completion of the muster, Rear Admiral Peter Chabot representing the Class of 1960, our firsties and responsible for shaping us as a class, will be asked to repeat the oath of office to us that we took fifty years ago. We will raise our right hands and repeat those words that changed out lives in an instant. Upon completion of taking the oath, we will be dismissed and the ceremony is complete. Uniform for the ceremony is a blue blazer, tan or khaki trousers, and a blue and gold tie or Foundation tie. A white shirt would be preferable.

Induction of the Class of 2013 Immediately after the swearing-in ceremony we should proceed to the seating area in Tecumseh Court. We have 60 reserved seats on the ramps leading into Bancroft Hall. Depending on how many are present, we may be a few reserved seats short and a few of us may have to observe in general seating toward the entrance of Tecumseh Court. The new Plebes will start arriving about 1730 and the induction is scheduled for 1800. Immediately following the short swearing in ceremony, the new midshipmen can meet briefly with parents before returning to Bancroft hall for the beginning of the most demanding year of their lives to date. We will gather at the Mexican monument down Stribling Walk to meet with midshipmen whose parents are absent from the occasion. Cell phones will be available for them to call home if desired.

Rendezvous Once the midshipmen are headed back to Bancroft, those desiring to have a drink are invited to meet at the Alley, the newly refurbished beautiful lower level of the Officers and Faculty Club. You may remember this as a bowling alley in our time, hence the name. There are no plans for a group dinner get together, so everyone is on their own in Annapolis, or at the club, although the club closes at 1930, so there will not be a lot of time to order food.

Shopping The Mid Store is open from 0700-1700 for I Day .The Visitors Center also has a good stock of shirts and clothing as well as souvenirs. Ask about discounts as they often have some to offer. The mid store and the visitor’s center will also have the new Reef Points on sale that includes our class history as the Link in the Chain Class. The on-line Alumni Store at the Alumni Association website has a new class logo featuring our class crest with a gold anchor chain around it to signify our new status—a logo so far unique to our class. You can order shirts, hats, jackets etc as desired. Hats with the logo are already in stock for all those who do not make it to I Day.