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

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l. T., li V . g ne thing we did spend money on was Fling Dance. Once 5 Y l Eagain, our class officers stepped up big time and put together a it lj q-great night. We were the first class in recent memory to have clear F4 l' lskies and no rain. Hospital Point was the site of the party under the tent and fireworks over the water. Our rings were christened in water from the Seven Seas and we were one step closer to gradu- ation. As the covers of the Class of 2004 flew in the air, we dashed back to the Yard with our new horizontal stripes to get our parking stickers. We brought our cars on the Yard. Every member of the Class of 2005 was required to serve in a leader- ship capacity under Admiral Flempt's revamping of the summer training programs. Detail became an all First Class affair, more ' H ' ' firsties were needed for CSNTS and being a firstie on the YPs ' ' ' . , 3, meant more responsibilities than in previous years. Leatherneck -20 was a chance for potential Marines to see how they would mea- 5 1 sure up and our cruises this summer gave us a glimpse of life as lf f .. a junior officer. M E g..,,. There is a saying that the two best ranks in the Navy are Admiral and Nlidshipman First Class. It didn't matter if you were a squad leader, team captain or striper, this was going to be a great year for us all. Events leading to graduation came and went with lightning speed. Firstie Parents' Weekend came in September and brought a vic- tory over Vandy and tailgating with parents in the parking lot afterwards. Aiifdif' -vf 'Swv , U W T Service Assignment was drastically changed for us. What had traditionally occurred in the first few weeks of second semester had been moved to the week before Thanksgiving. Tensions were high as the overmanning of the Navy and the going into each branch. Some members of our class would receive unassigne i lopes, as the needs of the service were not yet certain. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan created changes in the numbers d!! n their enve- The semester rolled on. The football team had its best record in a hundred years, defending the Commander-in-Chief's thanks to classmate Geoff Blumenfeldls last second field goal against Air Force and a Class of 2005-led shellacking of Army. Aaron Polanco led the team to victory in San Francisco at the Emerald Bowl. Bri- gade morale was at an all-time high for us. We held march on through DTA for the first time in years and partied like rock stars in the parking lot after the games. It wasnlt without incidents though, from streaking to directing traffic on lVlain Street in Mess Dress, we knew how to make it count.

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was a great time,-lt helped us to start narrowing down our choices for service assignment. Some of us had the privilege of being detailer for '07. It was a lot of work and the limited liberty barely gave you a chance to recharge before going back at it. No spot corrections and being told we were not providing enough positive reinforcement challenged us to come up with new ways to train and left some wonder if this was what we had really signed up for. Whatever your feelings, we experi- enced a leadership opportunity that could not be replaced. The Grey Hull cruises were definitely a highlight for some. By luck of the draw, our class was spread across the world, from San Diego to Norfolk, from Hawaii to Earle, New Jersey. We came back in the fall with civilian clothes and cars, and the role of trainer. Those of us who had spent our summer with that role were the last Second Class detailers. Second class year saw our weekends increased to 5 per semester and Tuesday and Friday night liberty was a very wel- come addition to go along with all of our new responsibilities. Signing the 2-7 papers had meant partying for the classes ahead of us, but like many other 'traditions was labeled a bad habit . We signed commit- ment papers and treated to a dinner, complete with speak- ers and Catawba. We braved the ravages of Hurricane Isabelle, the Storm of the Century , which wreaked havoc on the yard and resulted in millions of dollars in damage. Due to ex- tensive flooding, classes originally held in the lab deck of Bickover and the j 4 0-Deck of Sampson and A lVlaury where parcelled out to wardrooms, Alumni Hall, just about anywhere where there was litte or no damage. The Navy even brought in a mobile barracks QAPI.-615 to provide more rooms. The labs in Bickover were completely knocked out of commis- sion and would only really start to come back online our Firstie year. But we bounced back as we always do and the semester moved on. wr The football team came into form as we beat Air Force at FedEx Field and crushed Army at the Linc in Philly to improve from 0-10 and 2-10 our plebe and youngster years to 8-4 second class year. We captured the Com- mander-in-Chief's trophy and earned a bowl berth in the Houston Bowl. We also gained cult icons for our class in Kyle Eckel and Bobby the Club lVlcClarin. The Spring saw more snow, more Dark Age dreariness but this time there was something to brighten our skies. The Second Class career starter loan of up to 325,000 was given to us just a few weeks before Spring Break. With it, we went on awesome Spring Break trips, bought cars, paid for our class rings, and just blew it on alcohol. Some of us invested it, but some decided to enjoy every penny right then. l 17

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The Dark Ages didn't matter to us as we were on the way out. Since our fates had since been decided, we coasted more in the spring than previous classes. Service Selec- tion beginning of February told us where we going after graduation. Beer flowed and the celebrations continued. One last college Spring Break and the real world waited just a few short months away. Commissioning Week was a week that will not be forgotten. Of course. Though it rained a few times, the good times rolled. Graduation practices and the last briefs we would have to sit , through as mids signaled the end. No more Dit- Q tlemeyerl!! The 55 degree graduation practice left something to be desired, especially at Gam, but it was all a means to an end. Graduation itself was warm President Bush gave our commencement .K .RK rf 1 ff'-M speech, and shook hands and posed for pictures with every graduating senior. I don't think any of us can forget how it felt when John Burger, our beloved class president, finally led us in three cheers for those we leave behind. So this is the story of the United Stated Naval Academy Class of 2005. I hope this has helped you remember the times we shared. During his last Commandant's Call to us, Captain Leidig said that we might possibly be the greatest class in the history of the Naval Academy. With three Flhodes Scholars, a 24th ranked football team, countless All-Americans in numerous sports, national rec- ognition in so many different areas, we could have been a great class at a normal university. We were a great Naval Academy class because of our leadership, our dedication and drive, our own- ership of the Brigade. We raised the standard. It has been an unforgettable ride for us all, with ups and downs along the way. The saying goes, its not a great place to be at, but it's a great place to be from. Well...We made it a great place to be at!!! 19