United States Merchant Marine Academy - Midships Yearbook (Kings Point, NY)

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 p “ ■ - To graduate from Kings Point today is to have a direct link back to those brave men, many of whom are still out at sea, and with whom many of us have been fortunate enough to be shipmates. IEven more so, however, to graduate from Kings Point is to become a part of the proud tradition of seafarers all over the world. Our friends who went to I “normal” colleges, and lived “normal” lives may well soon find out that the best part of their lives is over, as they settle into mundane jobs of no particu- lar heritage or distinction, which are characterized only by their alikeness to so many other dull and mundane jobs. On the other hand, while our four years at Kings Point were demanding, rigor- ous, and sometimes close to miserable, we are, upon graduation, literally of- fered the world. As long as we are willing to seek them out, the opportunities are endless, for we are the best, because we have made ourselves the best. We are graduates of the finest school of its kind in the world. We have surmounted all it could throw up against us, and we have thrived. We stayed at Kings Point, we stuck it out because we knew in our hearts that we could. Whenever things got rough, we held on and made it through, not because we owed it to our parents, friends, or the institution, but because we owed it to ourselves. Now we are ready to take on the world around us, and we know we must succeed, for we have already been through worse. To graduate now, into a depressed shipping industry should not be viewed as on obstacle, but as a chal- lenge. We’ll take the ratty jobs, the jobs no one else wants, and we will do well in them. We will thrive. Maybe they won’t be quite the jobs we were trained for, maybe they won’t be quite the jobs we want. But someday, should our country ever need us, we will be out there, and we will be ready. We will be ready, will- ing, able, and eager to carry on the proud tradition of those who have gone before us. For we are Kings Pointers. This then, is the yearbook of the Class of 1983. It is the record of who we are and all that we went through to- gether. It is four long years of our lives. Four of the best damned years we ever spent. 14 Opening

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9mall patch of Earth, using only the sun, stars and one’s sharpened instincts was no small feat, and even to thi9 day it is a skill which we can practice and take pride in. To then fill one’s ship with people and cargo necessary for the spread and maintenance of civilization, and to be responsible for their safe passage and arrival made the seafarer an important element in the development of world history. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy has its noble traditions as well. A9 we all learned as plebes, it is the only federal academy whose cadets actively participated in, and helped pay the price of the Second World War. Early graduates served as officers and in some cases masters of the merchant ships which made the perilous but vital supply runs which enabled us to support and prevail in war efforts carried out thousands of mile9 from our shores. The casualty rate of merchant seamen in World War Two was second only to the Marines, and the example of those brave men, who so willingly risked their lives aboard those floating powder kegs should not be soon forgotten. Continued on page 14 Opening 13

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Top: The regiment assembles to hon- or cadet Francis Dales and third offi- cer Frederick E. Larsen as they re- ceive the Merchant Marine Distin- guished Service Medals for extraordi- nary heroism. The presentation was made on May 22, 1943 by Capt. E.S. MaCauley, Deputy War Shipping Ad- ministrator for training. Top Right: The Missouri plaque at the academy is a replica of the plaque aboard the USS Missouri, designating the spot on which the final surrender terms of WW II were signed on Sep- tenber 2, 1945. Far Bottom Left: Cadet Edwin J. O’Hara was posthumously awarded the Merchant Marine Distinguished Medal on March 15, 1943. He was the first to be so honored. Portrait by W.N. Wilson. Bottom Middle Right: Memorial located in Pass Christion, Mississippi, to the cadets lost in action during WW II. Bottom Middle Left: A view of the flagpole and Amphritrite Pool on Academy grounds. Bottom Right: Plaque recognizing Vice Admiral Richard R. McNulty, USMS as “Father of the United States Merchant Marine Academy”. The plaque was presented on March 17, 1976 by Robert J. Blackwell Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Maritime Affairs. Opening 15