United States Naval Academy - Lucky Bag Yearbook (Annapolis, MD)

Page 9 text:

-ipC jC i: —5- r;- - ' .r -- ? i7 ' nr i,,, Because our lives are dedicated to the defense of the Constitution, this Bicentennial celebration is especially meaningful to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. As midshipmen, we are quite aware of the history around us. Only a few blocks away from the Academy ' s gate lies the site where the groundwork for the Constututional Convention was laid.

Page 8 text:

Although it often seems that they are separated by an eternity, our first day as midshipmen and our last are tied together by a common theme. On both of these occasions, we take a solemn oath of al- legiance. We pledge ourselves not to the Academy nor to the Navy, not to the flag, nor even to the leaders of our country. Rather, we swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. HDF OFFIC UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY Having BEEN APPOINTED MIDSHIPMAN IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY, d SOLEMNLY SWEAR (OR AFFIRM) THAT WILI SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF J AGAINST ALL ENEMIES, FOREIGN AN nniircT,. t . AND ALLEGIANCE TO THE SAME WITHOUT ANY MENTAL RESEPV ' ON ' J» pUPI -. . THATI WILL WELL AND FAITHFULLY DISCHA OF THE OFFICE ON WHICH I AM ABOU ' TEfl

Page 10 text:

The first salute our Navy gave to the doc- ument it defends was the building of the frig- ate U.S.S. Constitution in 1794. This was one of the greatest ships ever built, and she could outsail, outmaneuver, and outfight any ship of her time. She earned the nickname Old Iron- sides when connonballs bounced off of her twenty-inch thick oaken hull. Her 2200 tons could plw through the waves at over 14 knots. The U.S.S. Constitution has proven to be as durable as her namesake, and both have weathered the storms of the last two hundred years remarkably. The ship is still a com- missioned ship in the United States Navy and is on permanent display in Boston.